Exclusive | 'Indian men's hockey team better prepared than at Tokyo': Olympian Jagbir Singh

An Olympic medal can work wonders.

The one big thing that changed vis-a-vis the mindset of Indian fans after the last edition of the Olympics in Tokyo was that they once again began to realistically expect a medal from field hockey. The Indian men’s and women’s teams both made history in Tokyo. The men broke a 41-year jinx to win the bronze medal (last Olympic medal won before this was in 1980, Moscow), while the women made the semi-final cut for the first time ever (it was their third appearance overall at the Olympics), heartbreakingly missing out on a bronze medal after two back to back defeats.

The overall results though made everyone sit up and realise that a medal from hockey is possible.

This time, the women unfortunately couldn’t make the Olympics cut, but the men will be representing the country again. They are in what is being called the ‘pool of death’, with the likes of ten-time Olympic medallists Australia and the reigning Olympic champions Belgium. Needless to say, the Men in Blue have their task cut out.

The Indian squad this time is a nice mix of old and new. It’s a 16-member squad with three alternates. While veteran goal-keeper PR Sreejesh will be playing his 4th Olympics, as many as 5 players will be making their Olympic debuts. The likes of Jarmanpreet Singh, Raj Kumar Pal, Sanjay, Sukhjeet and Abhishek are all at an Olympic Games for the very first time.

India begin their campaign in Paris with a clash vs the ‘Black Sticks’, New Zealand on Saturday, July 27.

Road to Paris, Hockey: How Indian men’s team qualified for Olympics? Can they win a medal?

Ahead of the hockey campaign we spoke to former Indian hockey centre-forward, two-time Olympian, Asian Games medallist, former India coach and Arjuna awardee, Jagbir Singh to gauge where the current Indian men’s hockey team stands ahead of what will be a gruelling campaign, played under the watchful eyes of coach Craig Fulton.

Excerpts…

Before we talk about the Indian men’s hockey team and the Paris Olympics, as a two-time Olympian yourself, would you say that the pressure a player encounters at the Olympics is unparalleled and that ultimately mental strength is often what separates the best from the rest?

Singh: Yes, I would agree. This event (the Olympics) does carry a lot of pressure. But I would always say this to any future generation (players) - ‘once you get into sport, right from day one you should learn to handle pressure. If you are not able to do this, then change your line’.

Let’s talk about the Indian men’s team now. The team is in a tough pool in Paris. They have the likes of Australia, reigning Olympic champions Belgium, New Zealand, Argentina and Ireland in their pool. Your take on India’s realistic chances, going by current form, quality of squad and opposition they will face. Coach Craig Fulton has already said he can’t predict anything…

Singh: No coach can predict what will happen at the Olympics, because the fight is so close. The teams are prepared to the best of their levels. Be it mentally, physically, every way they are well prepared. So, it’s very difficult to predict what’s going to happen. It’s going to be, every time, match by match, and any intelligent coach would say so, like what Craig said.

But going into a competition like the Olympics, when you find yourself in a pool like this. If you are the coach and you have to pinpoint the two main opponents for you in that group or pool, the toughest teams that you would have to prepare the boys for, would you say automatically those two teams are Australia and Belgium?

Singh: Yes. Also because of the fact that we lost miserably while playing against them (Australia) in that five-match series (Australia beat India 5-0 in a 5 Test series in April this year), so that extra pressure would always be there on the team. So, this is one match (vs Australia) that India has to play, not at their 100%, but at their 120%.

Take it one match at a time is a mantra many coaches have followed in the past and it’s logical of course to do that anyway. But when you have teams like Australia and Belgium in your group, is it really realistic to think that the players won’t be thinking about that ahead of their first pool match vs New Zealand on July 27?

Singh: No (they won’t), because they are a group of experienced players and the exposure has been extended at all levels. Recently with Pro League matches also. The team has a different kind of confidence (now). You see, how you qualify for the Olympics also plays a very major role. They (Indian men’s hockey team) have gone into the Olympics this time as Asian Games champions. I don’t really count the World rankings, what stage they are in, from where they have fallen. They were amongst the top 3 and now they are out of that top 5-6 race, but still, I would say that India is a well-prepared team this time, compared to what it was in Tokyo.

So, you are saying that they are better prepared this time than they were in Tokyo, where they won the bronze medal?

Singh: They are better prepared than what they were in Tokyo. But, yes - it’s a pool of death.

If you break up the squad into the three key areas of defence which has the likes of Harmanpreet, Amit Rohidas, Sumit, Sanjay, midfield, which has the likes of Manpreet, Rajkumar, Hardik, Vivek, etc., and forward, with Lalit, Mandeep, Gurjant, etc. - which would you say is India’s biggest strength and also is there a weak link?

Singh: There will always be plusses and minuses in each team. I would talk about the strengths - starting from the goal, with Sreejesh in the goal. He’s done extremely well. Then we have Harmanpreet in defence - the captain, captain cool, who is much mature and knows his responsibilities now that he is the only real drag-flicker we have in this team, even though I would have loved to have another choice, at least having two (drag-flickers), which most of the good teams will have, be it Australia or Belgium.

You name it, they will always have a choice of two (drag-flickers), but it’s okay. The attacking line and the midfield, especially Hardik in the midfield and Manpreet - they are the smiling guys, enjoying their hockey. The striking rate of attackers though for me has been a concern, but let’s hope what they haven’t been able to do in the previous games in the Pro League, they will be able to deliver here (at the Paris Olympics).

I wanted to go back to the pressure element. In terms of overall pressure - breaking a 41-year jinx and winning the bronze last time. Now, everyone, of course, will be expecting the team to not just win another medal but to also change the colour of their medal. As you pointed out earlier, handling pressure at the highest level is something players are trained for and pressure is something they expect. But Olympics level pressure can change things. We’ve seen that in other sports. In that context, how well equipped is this squad mentally to handle that pressure? We know what these players bring to the table skill-wise, but as someone who has his ear to the ground for hockey, how highly would you rate them in terms of their pressure-handling skills?

Singh: Well, Craig Fulton with the exercises he has gone through - inviting one of the best guys in the business when it comes to mental training (Paddy Upton, who was also with the Indian men’s cricket team which won the 2011 ICC ODI World Cup). He has done it for cricket, we are expecting it now for hockey. Then the visit to Switzerland (a three-day adventurous mental conditioning camp with explorer and adventurer Mike Horn). So, these are a few things they have tried at their level. No coach would go out of their way to plan Switzerland before Paris, because Switzerland should have been after success in Paris, but he realised that his team needs it more than any other team at this moment, so fingers crossed.

Yes, there are a few players who succumb to pressure, there are those who are least bothered, in fact, they play much better when they are under pressure. So, it’s a mixed bag. It’s tough, and it’s a challenge for the coach also, how he and his team of mental trainers can bring the best results.

Talking about the coach, Craig Fulton took over 14 months ago. He has gone on the record to say that ‘building trust’ was his key focus. It’s an open secret that it’s not easy being the coach of the Indian men’s hockey team, for more reasons than one. What kind of an impression has Fulton made on you so far, and also how happy or not happy are you about where he has brought the team at this point in time?

Singh: He (Craig Fulton) has been quite impressive, he has been very honest with regard to his team preparations. And also, the style he wants to play in - he has been very vocal about defence to win, whereas previous coaches have always said that attack is the best way to win. So, this is something he has been very honest about. He may or may not succeed, but he is giving it a try. He has been very impressive. It was a challenge (the Indian coaching job). He knew that very well before taking it up. Any coach in this world would like to take up the role of the Indian coach, given the fact that they know that they (the team) are full of talent and it’s the only team which can bring results in such a short time.

Since we are talking about coaches, can you explain what changes for a team under the same coach in terms of execution and overall performance within a shortish period of time - we saw that under Graham Reid, the men’s team won the Tokyo Olympics bronze, they finished second in the Birmingham CWG and came in third in the FIH Pro League, but then they failed to make the quarter-finals of last year’s World Cup and that too at home and finished ninth - How do you explain that?

Singh: Consistency has always been a problem. One day we are very good, the next day we are not that great, the next day when we need to pick ourselves up, we falter again. This is one aspect that we really need to work on and it’s something I am sure Craig would have been working on. Graham (Reid) was really successful. He had given good results. The best (result) was that in 41 years you got the bronze medal (at the Olympics), so there was something very special that he had done with the team. The style of hockey that he (Graham Reid) had introduced, the Indian players were enjoying it. But unfortunately, we expect results to be either heads or tails.

The World Cup (2023 edition), playing at home and not performing well, despite having done so well in the previous major tournaments was one reason why this could have happened. And any new coach, taking over from Graham Reid would have realised these challenges and then saying - yes, whatever Indian hockey couldn’t do under the previous coach, let’s do it.

Also, it’s not like we haven’t seen this in the past, but as things stand, it’s good to see forward planning and proactiveness by Hockey India - the players who are not part of the Olympics team but are part of the core group for the Asian Champions Trophy in September have been called up for a National camp at SAI, Bengaluru. Your take on that.

Singh: Indian hockey has been really, really fortunate in the last 10-14 years since the regime changed in 2010 (Hockey India adopted Government guidelines). The initiatives taken by Hockey India, the innovations, the ideas and also the competitions hosted by HI at home, not only gave the Indian team the chance to play the major tournaments as the host nation but also the amount of exposure that was required was then made available. The popularity of Indian hockey then regained momentum, after winning a couple of medals in the World Hockey League and also doing well at the Asian Games and then the big blessing came in 2012-13 with the Hockey India League, which changed the entire mindset of the youngsters who wanted to play for the National team. So overall, Hockey India has played a very, very important role, a very major role - be it in exposure (for the men’s and women’s teams), help from the Government of India, Ministry of Sports, SAI (Sports Authority of India), walking those extra miles to help hockey (in India) regain its lost glory.

The results are now visible, especially after the Tokyo bronze medal (in the last edition). I won’t say that this medal should add pressure back on the shoulders (of the players). Let them just go and enjoy hockey, let them play hockey. They are at the Olympics, they have prepared themselves, and the coaches have worked out the strategies. Yes, I would like to see some surprise strategies or styles which they didn’t display during the Pro Hockey League. Looking forward to it.

Talking about things that might surprise us, If you were the coach of the Indian men’s hockey team, what would your advice be for the team at this point, ahead of their opening match vs New Zealand.

Singh: Every coach would have his own ideas, his own style, his own advice. But, for me, I have always advised my players and I always look forward to their response - to play hockey, enjoy hockey, have fun on the field. Those 60 minutes are there to deliver what you have practiced, trained and prepared for. Play to your plans, stick to your plans, work according to what the game strategy has been for such a major tournament and this is the time when you need to show that. No extra pressure, nothing, just concentrate on your natural game and the results will follow automatically.

The players these days, I would say, are very fortunate considering they have the support that previous generations really needed, but didn’t get, on many fronts. I am sure that you, as someone who has played at the highest level would have also felt that, during your playing career for India. How much would you say has the field hockey landscape changed since you played?

Singh: Globally it (field hockey landscape) has changed a lot. There were select tournaments or opportunities available to us - there were the Asian Games, Champions Trophy, World Cup and the Olympics. One or two odd international tournaments like Azlan Shah or 6-nations, BMW Trophy etc. But now the competition is available in abundance. The exposure is available. The number of international matches the teams play now, the support staff, the extra help in video analysis, the biomechanics, physiology - everything has changed now. The overall mindset has now changed that it’s not just the 11 players on the field who are performing or who are responsible for good results, but it’s also the off-field people involved in bringing success to the team and rightly so because it’s not just the team playing for 60 minutes on the field - 24 hours, around the clock the team works, both the players and the team management.

These are big changes and yes, the rules (also) have changed to a large extent. It’s more spectator-friendly now, with four quarters coming in, it’s more commercially viable, it has more depth and more opportunities for the corporates also to come in. The sponsorships have opened up, the game has opened up a lot. There are a lot of channels that are now available, social media is so active. So, the visibility is far, far more than what we had. We only had two TV channels at that time and now you can give up, but the remote will keep giving you more channels.