Former captain and goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh points to a shift in defensive systems and communication issues as the primary causes of the Indian men's hockey team's ongoing lapses.
With barely four weeks between India's World Cup exit and the opening whistle at the Asian Games, former captain and goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh believes the men's hockey team is not broken, but rather caught in a loop of avoidable mistakes caused by structural gaps.
Speaking during a virtual interaction, the 38-year-old attributed the team's recurring defensive lapses to a major tactical shift away from traditional man-to-man marking toward a deeper defensive system. "When we used to play, we used to go for more man-to-man marking… Nowadays we’re playing a system which is very deep and different, which needs more communication and understanding, because you may see two or three people in the same zone, and sometimes you get confused about whom you should go and mark," Sreejesh explained.
The former skipper noted that this shift requires a level of coordination the team has yet to fully master, particularly against opponents who thrive on individual skill and interchange running. While direct Olympic qualification is on the line at the Asian Games, Sreejesh believes greater pressure lies in the Qualifier pathway. He cited 2018 as evidence, when India missed out on a direct Olympic spot at the Asian Games but ultimately qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Games through the qualifiers and won a bronze medal.
Addressing his recent frank public assessments, Sreejesh stressed that his goal was to motivate the team rather than criticize. "This is my team. If I don’t tell my players it’s time to wake up, who is going to?" he asked. However, when asked about allegations that a small group of selectors has bypassed the board for years, Sreejesh offered a measured response: "I was surprised to hear that comment about bypassing the board. Hockey India can give a better answer to that."
Reporting sourced from The Hindu Hockey. Photo courtesy The Hindu Hockey.