Experimental India lose to Germany as international hockey makes low-key return to Delhi

International hockey finally returned to the national capital, Delhi, after a gap of nine years — 10 years in the case of the men’s team. However, the comeback wasn’t exactly what the team or the fans had hoped for. World No. 2 Germany defeated fifth-ranked India 2-0 , but the scoreline doesn’t tell the whole story. While India were missing key players like Hardik Singh, Jugraj Singh, Boby Singh Dhami, and Uttam Singh, the Germans arrived with most of their Under-21 world champions from last year. Yet, on Wednesday, at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, it was the Germans who dominated the game like a home team after drawing first blood.

Henrik Mertgens scored the opener for the visitors quite early, in the fourth minute, when he took advantage of a stray ball, while captain Lukas Windfeder (30’) clinched the final goal of the match, through a Penalty Corner (PC).

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In between, India scored through Dilpreet Singh, but the goal was overturned after a video referral, leaving the hosts with a Penalty Stroke. In a rare occurrence, skipper Harmanpreet Singh missed the opportunity, as German goalkeeper Joshua Onyekwue Nnaji made a save with his left leg.

“It’s part of the game (on missing Penalty Stroke),” Harmanpreet said after the match. “The goalkeeper was deceived but made a good save. Overall we performed well, the way we managed the ball was good, but defensively we could have done better. We will try to do better in all the departments tomorrow.”

‘No excuses for lacking energy’

India will face Germany in the second and final game of the bilateral series on Thursday (24 October) which will require the home team to improve in several areas where they fell short on Wednesday, including work rate, creativity, and converting Penalty Corners.

“I think first half was theirs overall but second quarter was ours, in a sense. We got nicely back into it and then the third quarter was a bit even and then, yeah, we missed a few connections up front. We weren’t fluid. Normally we have a bit more goal shots. We are a bit more threatening, but we’ve got another opportunity tomorrow,” India coach Craig Fulton said while assessing the loss to Germany.

“No excuse for that (Indian team lacking energy). It’s the back end of a long season but we’re at home. They’ve (Germany) flown in, so that’s not an issue.”

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Wednesday’s match also saw India hand a national team debut to Rajinder Singh, who, along with Mandeep Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Shamsher Singh, Abhishek Nain, Lakra Shilanand, and Dilpreet, was rotated continuously in forward positions. However, the coordination between the forwards and the supply line from the midfield left fans wanting more. It was evident that the Men in Blue missed the presence of Hardik, who has often been the primary source of creativity in the Indian lineup.

Coach Fulton shared a similar sentiment after the match but underlined that the experience would prove valuable in the future, as backup players had the opportunity to learn and improve.

“For sure (we missed Hardik). You look at what he can bring — the speed and the ability through the zone and his aerials, of course. Is it the Olympics today? No. I want to win badly, don’t get me wrong. I don’t like losing, but at the same time, we’re in a different phase and we’ve got to try and pick ourselves up after that. It wasn’t too bad, but there was not much fire up front.”

India try out different PC variations

Skipper Harmanpreet, who helped India win their second consecutive Olympic bronze earlier this year by scoring 10 goals through set pieces, was seen playing in a more advanced role at times during the match, trying to force the issue with threatening runs into the German striking circle.

This wasn’t the only experiment the Indian hockey team tried during the match, which was seen as an opportunity to prepare the squad for major tournaments and test new strategies. Apart from star drag-flicker Harmanpreet, Varun Kumar, Sanjay, and Amit Rohidas also took Penalty Corners, but none resulted in a goal.

“In modern hockey, if you don’t have two-three drag-flickers then you are going to struggle. So that’s our plan and mindset, we also tried quite a lot of variations. We will practice more, and keep experimenting more till the time we become experts in it,” Harmanpreet shared.

The experiments are important and must continue, but on Thursday, the hockey fans in Delhi, who have been starved of international action, will hope for a triumphant performance from the Men in Blue, while the Indian men’s hockey team will be looking for a larger turnout.

The 3 PM pushback has affected crowd attendance, which, by the best estimates, seemed to be around 3-4 thousand, with many seats left empty. But what is sports without fans? So, if you are in Delhi, turn up in large numbers — the Indian team is waiting for you.