‘Great Opportunity to Experiment’: Captain Harmanpreet Admits Failure But Assures Strong Comeback in Next Game – News18

Last Updated:October 23, 2024, 23:21 IST

India captain Harmanpreet Singh expressed his disappointment over the 0-2 loss to Germany but asserted that this bilateral series is their only opportunity to test the bench before moving on to the Pro League.

India lost the first match of the India vs Germany bilateral series 0-2 [Photo: X / @TheHockeyIndia]

Germany were all over India as international hockey returned to the national capital after 10 years. The crowd at the Major Dhyanchand National Stadium went back heartbroken as the Olympic bronze-medallists India bit the dust against a young German side, losing 0-2 in the first match of the bilateral series on Wednesday.

Germany dominated the blocks, taking the lead in the first two quarters itself. Henrik Mertgens flicked one past Krishan Pathak to hand the visitors their first goal in the fourth minute into the game. 14 seconds to half-time, German skipper Lukas Windfeder converted a penalty. Suraj Karkera tried blocking the ball but it bounced inside the goalpost.

Wasn’t Much Fire Upfront: Coach Fulton

Unlike the Germans, India’s rustiness was visible on the turf with the naked eye. The hosts won as many as seven penalty corners across four quarters but surprisingly, not one could be converted. Usually, captain Harmanpreet took charge on such occasions but on Wednesday, India were seen experimenting with their penalty corner conversions. Apart from star drag-flicker Harmanpreet, the likes of Varun Kumar, Sanjay, and Amit Rohidas took penalty corners, but none resulted in a goal.

Speaking to the media after the game, head coach Craig Fulton admitted that their mock penalty corner drills failed to deliver.

“We went on the mock today. There was Varun (Kumar) and Sanjay but you obviously want Harman to score a few from penalty corners. I want to win badly, don’t like to lose but it is a different phase. It wasn’t too bad but there wasn’t much fire upfront,” Fulton said.

‘Opportunity to Experiment’

Captain Harmanpreet also looked off-colour a bit, missing out on a penalty stroke following in the second quarter. It served as a great chance to draw levels with the Germans but Harmanpreet surprisingly failed to score with goalkeeper Jean-Paul Danneberg blocking the ball with his pads.

The Indian captain expressed his disappointment over the loss but asserted that this bilateral series is their only opportunity to test the bench before moving on to the Pro League.

“We tried for variations. Definitely, we want to win every match but this is an opportunity to experiment because now the main target is the Pro League. If we do well in Pro League we will qualify directly for the World Cup,” Harmanpreet said.

“It is a good opportunity for youngsters and those who are making comebacks. We could have done well in penalty corners and counters as well.”

“In modern hockey, if you don’t have two-three drag-flickers then you are going to struggle. So that’s our plan and mindset, we also tried quite a lot of variations. We will practice more, and keep experimenting more till the time we become experts in it,” he added.

Germany’s Solid Defence

The current German team don’t boast the star line-up that bagged silver in Paris. It is a younger side and as told by Harmanpreet, India have faced them in the past. However, it was no less competitive. Their penetration and stick work were much better than what India portrayed and not to forget the goalkeeper Danneberg who foiled India’s penalty corners seven times.

“Germany don’t have a full Olympic team but we’re familiar with the players. But every situation and moment matters. We were not consistent, so mistakes happened,” said Harmanpreet.

Former captain and mid-fielder Manpreet Singh also admitted that India couldn’t avail the opportunities they received.

“If your defence is sloppy against a good team, you will definitely get punished. That’s only happened with us. Their [Germany’s] defence has to be appreciated. We should have availed our chances,” Manpreet said.

Speaking about the variations tried for the penalty corners, he said, “We have played the Germans quite a few times in the past. So, they knew how big a threat Harmanpreet could be for them. So that’s why we tried several variations in search of a goal via penalty corners. But I would appreciate their defence. They made some very good saves.”

‘Hoping a Strong Comeback on Thursday’

The former India captain and a two-time Olympic medallist also assured that now that they know the errors, they would work on them to make a staggering comeback in the next game.

“We’ll definitely make a strong comeback tomorrow. We have flagged the errors made today and will work on them and will try to punish the Germans whenever we get a chance,” he added.

Harmanpreet echoed the same emotions and said the team will learn from its mistakes and return stronger.

“Overall we performed well, the way we managed the ball was good, but defensively we could have done better. We will try to do better in all the departments tomorrow,” Harmanpreet concluded.