FIH Hockey Pro League: Eyes on youngsters as Craig Fulton looks to finalise India’s Olympic Games squad in Odisha

The dossiers are getting thicker. And training drills are being designed basis that. As much time is spent indoors – in the meeting rooms of hotels, stadiums, and training centers, plotting the downfall of every opponent – as the minutes spent on the field, where the plans will be put into motion.

Every move will be analysed and each match will be an audition. “It’s test matches now. Home stretch,” says coach Craig Fulton. “We are looking to confirm our Olympic squad.”

With that, the South African laid down the marker for India’s hockey players. Over the next fortnight, the eight games that India play against the Netherlands, Australia, Spain, and Ireland in the FIH Pro League in Odisha will, in essence, be the selection trials for the Paris Olympics squad.

The matches later this year, Fulton adds, will be used to build the bench strength so that ‘if there are injuries then we have depth.’

This gives the Pro League matches, otherwise seen as glorified exhibition games, an edge. And for the players who have been on the periphery of the national team, a final chance to impress the coach.

Especially the quartet that has made the progression from juniors to senior side in the last couple of years.

Chance for youngsters

Drag-flicker Sanjay, midfielders Vishnukant Singh and Rabichandra Moirangthem, and forward Araijeet Hundal have been seen as good enough to be included in a bloated 24-man squad for the matches in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. The next two weeks will determine if all or any of them have taken enough strides to displace some of the established names, Olympic medallists no less, for a place on the Paris-bound flight.

Each one has something unique to offer.

With drag-flicker and defender Varun Kumar out of the squad for the Pro League after he was accused of rape, Sanjay – who has featured consistently in Fulton’s sides including the Asian Games – has a chance to cement his spot.

The 22-year-old has a reputation of being one of the hardest hitters of the hockey ball in the country and has an uncanny knack of finding the corners with his flick. Although his drag-flick conversion rate might need improvement, Sanjay can be a reliable back-up to designated penalty corner specialist Harmanpreet Singh who needs an able ally on big stages, something he missed at the World Cup last year.

Vishnukant Singh in action against Malaysia in Hero Cup 2022. (Hockey Malaysia)

If Sanjay is all about power, his junior teammate Vishnukant is all skill. Although drafted as a defender in this tournament, Vishnukant has mostly operated as a midfielder where his fast hands and stick skills are on full display. At the junior level, he’s impressed the coaches with his decision-making skills on the ball.

However, with India spoilt for options in this area, Vishnukant will have to play out of his skin to get Fulton’s attention. And even that might not be enough. He is competing for spots with the likes of Hardik Singh, the vice-captain, Manpreet Singh, the former captain and Vivek Sagar Prasad, who was his junior team captain.

How he operates in the defensive role will be interesting to see as that could open a door for him to the national team. Like Vishnukant, Moirangthem too will have to do something exceptional to sneak into the team as a midfielder.

Can Araijeet stand tall?

One of the players to watch out for from this group will be the tall forward Hundal. At 6-foot-3-inches, he is already one of the tallest strikers to play for India. He has a powerful shot both on his forehand and the backhand, and his height gives him a big advantage in terms of reach.

Fulton has already underlined goal-scoring as one of the key areas that he would like to see India improve. Hundal has a chance to plug that gap.

“We have been watching them for six-seven months since I joined. It is always important to look out for talent. Not saying we don’t have talent in our group. But it’s also to try and get them playing our way,” Fulton said. “It’s about development for them. To understand tactically, technically what we are looking for. If there’s an opportunity they can make the (Olympic) squad, we want to give them that fair opportunity. That’s why they are here.”

But as much as within the group, the focus will also be on the other teams. Two of India’s pool-mates at the Olympics, Australia and Ireland, are here and they could well meet the Netherlands or Spain in the knockouts.

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Captain Harmanpreet said they’ll be keeping a watchful eye on their opponents. “Each team is analysing the other. Meetings are being held to discuss teams we’ll be playing (in Paris) and according to that, training drills are being held. It’s very important to us to have the knowledge and details of each team – how they play with the ball and without it. We have to be ready with these things before the Olympics.”

They have a little more than five months to get ready, starting Saturday.

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