The FIH Pro League campaign in Bhubaneswar has been a mixed bag for both the Indian men's and women's teams. After four matches against Spain and Germany, the men's team have won two and lost two while the women, who faced England and Spain, have won once, then lost in a shootout before back-to-back outright defeats. The inconsistent results were expected as both teams are experimenting with their systems and have given chances to new new players.
Before the next set of four matches, here's a look at a few takeaways:
Indian men's team's struggle with penalty corners
Head coach Craig Fulton was probably not too concerned about India's penalty corner conversion before the tournament but now it has become a headache. They have earned 15 penalty corners but haven't converted even once in the four games. Captain Harmanpreet Singh, who's India's designated dragflick expert has had to miss a couple of matches because of a small injury but in his absence, Jugraj Singh couldn't make his mark.
It's a strange one because Jugraj came into the Pro League after a sensational Hockey India League campaign where he scored 12 goals, the highest in the tournament. It was expected that Jugraj would make a big step towards becoming a national team mainstay, but so far, he has failed to replicate the blistering form which helped Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers win the HIL title only a few weeks ago. It has been the story of Jugraj in national colours. He has a mean dragflick that is certainly next best to Harmanpreet in the country but he's failing to deliver consistently for India.
There are still four matches to go and now that Harmanpreet is back. India's PC record will likely improve, but it's vital that Jugraj needs to get going with his conversions.
Rajinder Singh, the standout player for India
A lot of pre-tournament talk was about Arshdeep Singh because of his HIL exploits with Hyderabad Toofans, but four matches in, it's his HIL teammate who has been the standout youngster. While Arshdeep has been decent, Rajinder made his mark with his contributions to India's goals. In both the matches against Germany, it was Rajinder's stick work and passes that led to the goals.
Playing usually on the right ride, Rajinder has shown remarkable composure to hold on to the ball and then pick the right passes inside the circle. The way he calmly dribbled past the Germans in Tuesday's match to set up India's goal showed that he's ready to play and impact at the international level. Apart from his stick work, his defensive work rate would've also impressed Fulton. He's fast on the field and on multiple occasions, his tracking back has thwarted the opponent's attacking moves.
Familiar inconsistency from the women's team
Inconsistent results are a feature of Pro League games but the stark difference in the Indian women's team's performances certainly needs to be addressed. In the first match against Spain on Tuesday, India created and converted chances, but defensive mishaps resulted in a 4-3 loss. In the second match on Wednesday, India struggled to create clear-cut chances and then conceded to lose 1-0.
More than the results, head coach Harendra Singh will want consistency in performances. To be fair, India's attacking play has been better in the first three matches, where they scored eight goals, but chance creation went completely missing in their last game against Spain. The issue of inconsistency has been a matter of concern in the last few years and Harendra will hope that it doesn't become a factor in his reign as well.
Rutuja, Sakshi and Navneet shine
While Rutuja Pisal and Sakshi Rana made to the team after a good HIL campaign, Navneet Kaur, being the vice-captain and a senior player, had to contribute with goals. In four matches so far, all three have made their mark.
Rutuja has been the best of the lot. She showed that her HIL final heroics, where she scored twice, was not just a standalone performance. She backed it up with two good field goals - her first for the national team - but more importantly, showed that she can be a long-term forward option. She has the skills of a goal-poacher -- being there at the right place and right time to convert chances. She's calm on the ball and can make space for herself inside the circle. These qualities are essential in having a long career with the national team.
Sakshi, who's just 17, has also shown that she belonged at this level. Her first international goal against Spain and that too on her senior debut was something special -- she stole the ball from her opponent and came up with a smashing finish from the edge of the circle.
While Rutuja and Sakshi are just starting out, Navneet is the senior player and there was some pressure on her to deliver field goals. She has scored twice in four matches, including a terrific winner against England in the opening match. Having a senior player who's contributing with goals is certainly a good thing and Harendra will hope that Navneet maintains her form in the upcoming matches.
Schedule:
Feb. 21: India (W) vs Germany at 5:15 PM; India (M) vs Ireland at 7:30 PM.
Feb. 22: India (W) vs Germany at 5:15 PM; India (M) vs Ireland at 7:30 PM.
Feb. 24: India (W) vs Netherlands at 5:15 PM; India (M) vs England at 7:30 PM.
Feb. 25: India (W) vs Netherlands at 5:15 PM; India (M) vs England at 7:30 PM.