World Cup hockey: Coach Craig Fulton wants his men to write own history

Craig Fulton, the 51-year-old South African chief coach of India men’s hockey team, is not too fussed about the fact that the traditional powerhouses have not had a podium finish in the World Cup after their lone triumph in 1975. ‘’We want to write our own piece of World Cup history from an Indian perspective,’’ the former international remarked on the eve of their departure for Netherlands and Belgium.

The campaign couldn’t have started on a better day for Indians as Harmanpreet Singh & Co. open their Group D campaign against Wales on 15 August (Independence Day) at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen. In a tightly packed calendar, they take on England next on 17 August and then traditional rivals Pakistan on 19 August.

Known as an astute tactician, Fulton had taken charge from Graham Reid after India’s dismal ninth-place finish in the 2023 edition at home. He had since then guided India to a second bronze finish on the trot in Paris 2024 and is now on the cusp of history — that of being the first India coach in this century to have both a podium finish in Olympics as well as the World Cup.

The best Indian performance since 1975 gold had been two fifth place finishes in 1982 and 1994 – as well as a sixth finish at home in Bhubaneswar in 2018. The next two and-a-half months, meanwhile, will be a demanding one for Fulton’s men as they will have to manage both World Cup and look at retaining the Asian Games gold in short span of time.

Speaking to Indian Express in an interview, Fulton spoke on the challenge: ‘’You always have to have a goal through a goal. If your only goal is to stand on the podium at the World Cup, and you manage to reach it, then what? Then, you only get that far.

‘’For the last 18 months, we have been talking about this period. Put a goal through a goal where one leads to another. All the standards we have put in place for one we have for the other, and that's really important. No one else is in this situation, only Asian hockey. It's tricky, not an easy situation. You need a lot of resources and support to do this properly. The bigger the dream, the bigger the team in that situation. You need the resources to push the programme.’’

Speaking after the World Cup groupings in March, Fulton had stressed on the virtues of a pressing game – much like football. “We’ll be working hard on our structure, our press, and our finishing — the fine margins that decide games at this level,” said Fulton, a man with 195 international caps. “Every opponent in this pool has different strengths, so our preparation will be tailored and detailed.’’

 Embracing the massive expectations of a hockey-loving nation, Fulton had a clear, rallying message for the supporters as they gear up for the pinnacle tournament. “We want to go out there and make India proud. The players know what this shirt means and what the fans expect. My message to the supporters is simple — get behind us, one game at a time. Chak de India!”

 India’s Group D fixtures

 15 August: India vs England (6.30 pm IST);

 17 Aug:India vs England

 19 Aug: Pakistan vs India

 (All matches from 6.30 pm IST)