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“Our complete focus is on the Asian Games. We can’t rule out the possibility of sending two different teams to the two tournaments (Asian Games and World Cup).” — Dilip Tirkey, Hockey India president. “We are going to have one squad and are going to base it (the team selection) around that.” — Craig Fulton, India head coach. When selection trials take place this week, the think-tank must balance two approaches: go all-out in both tournaments, as Fulton suggests, or prioritise the Asian Games, as Tirkey prefers. India, arguably Asia’s strongest World Cup contender, is caught in a scheduling bind. The World Cup ends on August 30 (or August 28 if they don’t go beyond the semifinals), and within two weeks the team leaves for Nagoya, where the Asian Games begin on September 18. The only tighter turnaround was in 1986. India won the bronze medal at the Asian Games on September 29 in Seongnam, South Korea. Six days later, on October 5, their World Cup campaign got underway in London with a defeat to …
3 min readMar 19, 2026 05:15 PM IST It might be a no-contest on paper – with India unbeaten against them in the last 17 matches, a run stretching a decade – but coach Craig Fulton has warned that Pakistan are a side ‘not to be taken lightly’ after the two sides were drawn in the same group of this year’s hockey World Cup. India has been drawn in a competitive Pool D alongside a resurgent Pakistan, a tricky England, and the upstarts Wales, with all group-stage matches scheduled at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands. India will open their campaign against Wales on August 15, followed by a crucial match against England on August 17, before facing Pakistan on August 19 in what is expected to be one of the most high-voltage encounters of the group stage. Reacting to the draw, Fulton highlighted the intensity and challenge of the group, particularly pointing to Pakistan’s rich hockey heritage and unpredictable style of play. “We’re excited. It’s a strong group, but that’s exactly what you …
5 min readFeb 13, 2026 10:23 PM IST For the first time since Australia thrashed them in the final of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the Indian men’s hockey team conceded eight goals in a match against Argentina in the FIH Pro League on Thursday in Rourkela. But more than the result itself, the shambolic defensive performance came as a rude awakening at the start of a massive season for Indian hockey, with both the World Cup and Asian Games lined up in the middle of the year. Head coach Craig Fulton was right in his assessment that pretty much every mistake India made was punished by Argentina while his players couldn’t do the same. Fulton also explained that it was about finding ‘a balance between development and performance’ as he rotated his squad between the 1-3 defeat against Belgium and 0-8 reversal against Argentina. But what transpired against Argentina, especially in the first half, where India conceded seven goals, points to bigger concerns. While Manpreet Singh’s presence alone might not have been enough to avoid …
3 min readJan 29, 2026 04:12 PM IST Former captain Manpreet Singh was dropped from the 33-member national team core group for next month’s Hockey Pro League. Manpreet, who is a game short of becoming India’s most-capped player, is the most notable omission, along with goalkeeper Krishan Pathak. A senior Hockey India official said the team management is looking to assess young players ahead of a busy season that includes the World Cup in August followed by the Asian Games. Manpreet’s exclusion, though, raises eyebrows as he is the only senior outfield player to be left out. “It is the coach’s decision. He wanted to test new players and saw Pro League as an opportunity to do it. Manpreet will be back in the squad for the next national team assignment,” a Hockey India official said. The camp, to begin in Rourkela next week, is part of India’s preparations for the upcoming phase of the FIH Pro League, to be held at the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium from February 10 to 15. The home …
Indian men’s hockey team head coach said he was happy with the depth of talent he witnessed among the top four teams in the recently concluded Senior Men’s National Championships in Jhansi but conceded that the talent level dipped beyond that. Punjad, domestic powerhouses led by two-time Olympic bronze medallist Hardik Singh and filled with international stars, reclaimed the title defeating a plucky Madhya Pradesh side. Uttar Pradesh won bronze beating Manipur. “There’s good depth—particularly in goalkeeping and across the board, which was great to see. It was also encouraging to spot players who haven’t featured in the league before,” Fulton was quoted as saying by Hockey India. India’s last international assignment was the home FIH Pro League. Next a training camp with 54 probables is scheduled soon, from which a core group of 40 players will be selected. “We’ve been speaking about creating depth for a while now. The next 18 months are crucial in building a squad with sufficient bench strength,” Fulton explained. The former South African international also acknowledged a need for …
The Indian men’s hockey team chief coach Craig Fulton expressed optimism about the depth and quality of talent on display at the recently concluded 15th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2025 in Jhansi as the national team begins preparations for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025. Fulton, who closely monitored the competition, highlighted the competitiveness of the matches when top teams faced each other. “When we put strength on strength, the games were very, very close,” he noted. “There’s good depth – particularly in goalkeeping and across the board – which was great to see. It was also encouraging to spot players who haven’t featured in the league before,” he added. Commenting on regional performances, Fulton observed that while winners Punjab stood out with a strong representation of international players, the top four teams overall demonstrated good balance and quality. “Some regions were definitely stronger than others. Punjab, for instance, stood out with the highest number of international players, which gave them an edge. At the same time, there was a healthy balance of talent …
New Delhi: Indian men’s hockey team coach Craig Fulton is in a happy space with his team’s performance at the recently concluded 2024-25 FIH Pro League matches in Bhubaneswar. Five wins from eight matches have put the men in blue (15 points) only a point behind England and Belgium in the standings. The 50-year-old Fulton’s priority, post the Paris Olympics high, is to build a strong pool of resources and focus on result-oriented performance in the upcoming tournaments. In an exclusive conversation with The Bridge, Fulton shares his plan for team India. Excerpts: What are your takeaways from the reverse-format of the recently concluded FIH Pro League? It’s been positive. We used 27 players in eight games. We have a big squad, that’s something we’ve always been aiming to do post the Hockey India League and this Pro League. You need to play games to understand where you are and what you need to work on and every game that we lost, we bounced back. We had a good performance the following day, from the …
After the hectic 2024 season, India chief coach Craig Fulton spent a well-earned break in Cape Town with his family. Among other things, he could watch his daughter Milla Fulton, who plays hockey for Ireland U-18s and U-21s, in an indoor tournament. He missed watching her play last year but could make up for it this time. But of course, that didn’t mean a complete break from hockey though as he kept a close eye on the Hockey India League. This week, with the tournament coming to a close in Rourkela, Fulton is in attendance in person. And with the FIH Pro League coming up, he’s been taking notes. The Indian Express caught up with him on the sidelines of the league at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium. Excerpts: Have you been watching the Hockey India League? What’s your takeaway so far? Story continues below this ad Craig Fulton: We’re on game 40 now and I think I’ve missed only two matches, I’ve seen the other 38, pretty much seen it all. It’s been good. …
Despite a majority of the Indian internationals missing the Hockey National Championships in Chennai starting Monday, Indian head coach Craig Fulton will be present to assess the players. Among the Indian internationals playing, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay and Rajkumar Pal will play for Uttar Pradesh. Nilakanta Sharma will feature for Manipur and Karthi Selvam will play for hosts Tamil Nadu. The 14th edition of the Hockey India Senior Men National Championship is set to kick off on November 4 at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium. A total of 31 teams, divided into eight pools, will compete in the tournament, which will run until November 16th. During the league stage, each team will play against every other team in their pool. The top team from each pool will advance to the quarterfinals on November 13, followed by the semifinals on November 15, and the final, and third and fourth place play-off on November 16. Pool A features defending champions Hockey Punjab along with Dadra & Nagar Haveli And Daman & Diu Hockey and Chhattisgarh Hockey. Pool B …
