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          Super Sreejesh, slow starts, inconsistent performances: Reviewing India's FIH Pro League campaign

          PR Sreejesh has consistently performed for India and goes into the Paris Olympics as on the back of a terrific run. World Sport Pics
          • Anish Anand
          Jun 10, 2024, 04:21 AM ET

          The Indian men's hockey team needed at least three wins in their final four matches of the FIH Pro League in London to have a shot at finishing in the top three. Instead, they lost three and slipped down the table. In fact, they might end up below fifth in the nine-team league, which would be their worst-ever finish in the last four seasons of the Pro League.

          India have 24 points after 16 matches, lesser than Argentina (29), Australia (28) and the Netherlands (26). Great Britain, Germany and Belgium can better India's tally as they have more matches to play.

          With less than two months to go for the Paris Olympics, coach Craig Fulton expected a better showing in the final few matches, however, the team's performances against top hockey nations have been erratic.

          Here's ESPN India's review of the disappointing end to India's Pro League season:

          Inconsistency has been a constant

          Be it results or performances, inconsistency was the common factor, especially through the last eight away matches. In Antwerp, India started with a decent draw (which also resulted in a penalty shootout win) against Argentina but were then outplayed by Belgium, who were not even at their best. They ended the Antwerp leg with a good win over Argentina and maintained the winning momentum against Germany in the next match in London, followed by three back-to-back defeats. Across the entire season of 16 games, India's longest winning streak was two matches.

          India's last eight away matches were focussed on preparing for the Olympics, with emphasis on perfecting strategies, giving opportunities to a large squad and playing under different match-based scenarios. The results were not paramount, but it could've given a confidence boost to the players in the lead-up to Paris if they could've had a better string of performances. Winning just two in the last eight matches, which were extra crucial considering onset of the Paris Olympics, is far from ideal.

          Slow starts

          Talking about inconsistency during the matches, there has been a pattern in this Indian team, especially over the last few matches: India start slow, concede early goals, fight back to level the scoreline but then the performance levels dip and they concede again to lose.

          In their last three matches against Great Britain and Germany, India conceded in the opening minute or two and struggled to find their footing in the first quarter. They played better as the match progressed but then conceded the crucial third goal in the final quarters.

          Fulton, ahead of the final match against Great Britain on Sunday, spoke about this issue during the on-field interview with the broadcasters, and merely minutes later, India let Great Britain score the opening goal in the opening minute.

          But here's the thing about patterns - they can be identified and if needed, fixed. Even if Fulton couldn't do that in the last matches, he has the chance to work on it ahead of the Olympics. India don't have many high-quality matches before heading to Paris, but Fulton is aware of the problem and has time to rectify it.

          India may not start well in all the games, but they should aim to not lose the key moments and work on avoiding this tendency to concede goals in crucial moments. This issue is not particularly related to defence, the attacking line also needs to start well, take their chances and maintain the tempo till the final quarter.

          India forwards, especially Sukhjeet, make big improvements

          Coming out of the series against Australia, which India lost 5-0, the biggest concern was the performance of the forwards. India struggled to create chances and score field goals. Over the last eight matches against big teams, India's forwards indeed made improvements.

          While we have written about forwards Abhishek, Araijeet Singh Hundal and Gurjant Singh on these pages earlier, it was Sukhjeet Singh who was the most improved and consistent player over the last eight matches.

          Earlier, despite all his efforts on the field, Sukhjeet did not seize the key moments inside the circle. He used to beat defenders with his dribbles but then come up with a poor final pass. He used to get into the right positions in the circle, but the finishing was not there.

          He's now scored four times in the last eight matches and is India's second-best scorer in this season with five field goals. Not only did he score, but he also assisted his fellow forwards. As mentioned in the previous articles, when Sukhjeet, Abhishek, Araijeet and Gurjant are on the field, India are better at going forward and converting their chances.

          His rich vein of form comes at the right time as Fulton will soon pick his final squad for the Olympics. Going by the current form and recent performances, the young forwards may find a place in the team over their senior counterparts such as Mandeep Singh, Akashdeep Singh and Lalit Upadhyay.

          Sreejesh, India's best player going to Paris

          Plenty of doubts were raised about PR Sreejesh's future with the team after India's disappointing World Cup at home. It's not that he had a bad World Cup, but age was not on his side, and he was being pushed by a younger and much-improved second goalkeeper Krishan Pathak.

          Cut to 2024, those doubts have vanished. Since the World Cup debacle to now, across the Pro League season, Asian Games campaign, and the series against Australia, Sreejesh has shown time and again that he's not dropped his standards and stood tall in big moments with crucial saves.

          Sparring an injury scare, the 36-year-old will be India's goalkeeper in Paris, which will mark the fourth Olympics of his career. It's a big positive for Fulton that Sreejesh will travel to Paris after being in such terrific form.

          What's next?

          Fulton is likely to announce the India squad for the Paris Olympics at the end of June. The team will have their camp from June 22 to July 8 before travelling to Europe to play a few friendlies.