'Great Opportunity to Experiment': India Hockey Captain Harmanpreet Singh Assures Strong Comeback in 2nd Match vs Germany

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Last Updated:October 24, 2024, 11:22 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 a decade. India, the Paris Olympic bronze-medallists, bit the dust against a young German side, losing 0-2 in the first match of the bilateral series on Wednesday.

India made a bright start in the opening minutes but it was Germany who took the lead pouncing on an Indian mistake to go 1-0 up in the fourth minute. Debutant Henrik Mertgens flicked one past Krishan Pathak to put the visitors in front. And with 14 seconds to half-time, German skipper Lukas Windfeder converted a penalty corner that Suraj Karkera tried to block but it bounced past him and into the goalpost.

India’s rustiness was visible despite them taking part in the recent Asian Champions Trophy which they emphatically won. The hosts won as many as seven penalty corners across four quarters but surprisingly, not one could be converted. Usually, captain Harmanpreet takes the lead on such occasions but on Wednesday, India were seen experimenting with their penalty corner routines.

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 penalty corner drills failed to deliver.

“We went on the mock today. There was Varun 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, missing out on a penalty stroke as well in the second quarter. It served as a great chance to draw level with the Germans but the seasoned campaigner surprisingly failed to score with goalkeeper Joshua Nnaji Onyekwue 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 but India have faced them in the past. Germans, the current world champions, proved quite competitive. Their penetration and stick work much better than what India portrayed on the day, and not to forget the performance of their defense which didn’t allow them to convert even one of their seven penalty corners.

“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 star midfielder Manpreet 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."

‘Hopeful of a Strong Comeback on Thursday’

Manpreet, a two-time Olympic medallist, 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.