Key Takeaways of India’s Triumphant Asian Champions Trophy Campaign

Growing Stature of Rajkumar Pal

Rajkumar Pal was one of the standout performers for India at the 9th Asian Champions Trophy. The Karampur lad only enhanced his stock as a ‘high utility player’ in the side following a stupendous Paris Olympics campaign, in terms of strong ball retrieving skills as well as in aiding the forwardline. For someone, who is not expected to find his name on the goal-scoring sheet, the 26-year-old attacking midfielder brought all his ‘dribbling brilliance’ to the fore when he scored the first goal of his maiden international hat-trick against Malaysia. It was a sight to behold as Rajkumar weaved in from the right after being nicely fed by Nilakanta Sharma – his sizzling wrist play was on display as he dodged past four Malaysian defenders before beating the Malaysian goalkeeper Mat Deris Zaimi with a reverse tap-in. More importantly, the Uttar Pradesh Police-employed player appears to be at ease when it comes to playing ‘total hockey’ – coach Craig Fulton can deploy him anywhere be it deep defence, midfield (his forte) or upfront and backs him to deliver.

Krishan Pathak & Surak Karkera calmly filling in the big shoes of PR Sreejesh

The retirement of four-time Olympian PR Sreejesh after the Paris Olympics meant that the likes of Krishan Pathak & Suraj Karkera were entrusted with the responsibility of filling in the ‘massive shoes of Sreejesh’. Boy, the duo did not disappoint at all – Krishan and Suraj, who were deployed by coach Craig Fulton for each quarter on rotation appeared as if they are eagerly awaiting to take over the mantle from Sreejesh and make it count. They were tested in the pool tie against Pakistan and in the final against hosts China where they seemed to have all the answers to the questions thrown by the hosts. From the Indian hockey’s perspective it is indeed heartening to see two goalkeepers, who are ready to drive Indian hockey forward with their goalkeeping prowess.

Jugraj Singh Makes His Presence Felt

Jugraj Singh could consider himself extremely unlucky to miss the bus for the 2024 Paris Olympics after he was named as one of two of the reserve players for the showpiece event. Missing out on being part of an Olympic medal-winning team must have been a tad disappointing, but the Indian Navy-employed fullback set aside all of that and came up with a powerful all-round performance in Hulunbuir. In domestic hockey, he is touted as someone who is much more than just a drag-flicking deep defender as he is known to overlap and score goals – anyone who saw the 2022 Senior Nehru Hockey Championship at Hyderabad would vouch for that – his match-winner may sound surprising for many, but all those who track domestic hockey would know Jugraj regularly scores field goals as well. It’s not about scoring drag-flicking or field goals – his overall game awareness, tackling, retackling and retrieval were impressive – surely he is someone who adds so much to the Indian team.

Reduced Dependence on skipper Harmanpreet Singh for Goals

One of the concerning areas for the Indian men’s hockey team was the over-reliance on captain Harmanpreet Singh to score the goals for the team. The 2024 Paris Olympics is an ample proof of that. Having said that, Harmanpreet is one of the world’s top drag-flickers and it won’t be unfair to expect him score from shorties for India. The 9th Asian Champions Trophy witnessed a marked shift as there was a reduced dependence on the ‘Sarpanch’- many players came into the goal-scoring mode among 26 goals India scored in the tournament – this is a good augury for the future as we are not only scoring field goals but also scoring from set-pieces via other drag-flickers such as Jugraj and Sanjay.

Meaningful Contributions of Uttam & Araijeet

The duo of Abhishek and Sukhjeet Singh are improving in leaps and bounds with each international tourney and appear to be in the best phase of their playing careers. The scenario gets ‘more exciting’ when you see two young turks – Uttam Singh and Araijeet Singh Hundal showing acumen and finesse upfront and serving a message they can offer meaningful contributions. Uttam showed his opportunistic skills against China – pouncing off a rebound near the top of the ‘D’ – his ability to beat his markers inside the opposition ‘D’ has hold him in good stead. Araijeet, who is striving to cement his spot in the side, did his reputation a world of good with his scoring prowess – his goal from a tight angle against Malaysia was an indicator of what he can offer to the Indian team. Both these youngsters must stay injury-free and build on their good work in Hulunbuir and look to forge a lethal combination with Abhishek, Sukhjeet, Mandeep, and Lalit.

Leadership Attributes of Harmanpreet Singh

No words can be enough to encapsulate the leadership skills of Harmanpreet Singh. The 28-year-old, who became the first Indian to score 200 international goals in the tournament, has indeed hit the high notes in the Asian Champions Trophy. Despite being the one of the world’s ace drag-flickers, Harmanpreet has shown that he is in a secure space and was more than willing to offer opportunities to other drag-flickers – Amit, Jugraj, and Sanjay. His handy slap crosses are a big help to our forwardline – seldom we do see the ‘Sarpanch’ dribbling inside the opposition ‘D’ but we saw that when he laid a superb pass from the left for Jugraj to whip home the championship-clincher in a match where China really came hard at India.

All Images: Credit Hockey India & Asian Hockey Federation