The Indian men’s hockey team had a fruitful start to their 2023-24 FIH Pro League season, climbing to third in the standings after the end of the mini-tournament at home in Odisha.
With less than five months to go for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Pro League matches held in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela showed how much the team has progressed under Craig Fulton who took charge as head coach less than a year ago.
From their eight matches, India won three, lost one and drew four to take 15 points out of a possible 24. India beat Ireland twice and Spain once for their three wins while their four draws came against Spain (1), Australia (1) and the Netherlands (2). India’s solitary loss was against Australia when they went down in a 10-goal thriller.
Fulton had said that the Pro League matches in Odisha would serve as a barometer for his team’s growth while also doubling up as selection trials for the Paris Games. The South African will be mighty pleased with how his players fared in Odisha over the last fortnight.
Defence takes shape
At his first press conference after being appointed as the Indian coach last year, Fulton had said that his aim would be to build his…
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