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Attack the new mantra in Indian hockey under coach Harendra Singh

India have turned their focus to play more attack-minded hockey to challenge bigger teams in major tournaments as was evident in the game against New Zealand.

India hockey forward Mandeep Singh in action against New Zealand during their second Test in Bengaluru on Saturday (Image: Hockey India)

Bengaluru, July 21: The raw energy in the Indian men's hockey team was out on display as they defeated New Zealand 3-1 in the second of their three-match Test series being played at the Sports Authority of India campus in the city. India made more circle penetrations than their opponents and had control over the game throughout the four quarters. And if not for their inaccuracy in front of the goal, the margin of the victory would have been bigger.

India defeat NZ 4-2 in opener</a> | <a class=Players wanted to play in a stadium" title="India defeat NZ 4-2 in opener | Players wanted to play in a stadium" />India defeat NZ 4-2 in opener | Players wanted to play in a stadium

What has brought about this freshness in the side? Keeping in mind that this is a young side, which recently moved up to fifth in the FIH world rankings, coach Harendra Singh has instructed his wards to focus on playing an attack-minded game and surprise their opponents. India, whose players are naturally gifted with delightful dribbling skills, has been shy in adapting to the modern approach to the game. However, with Harendra now complementing the skill with a quick passing game, the opportunities are limitless.

India draw with England in Women's Hockey World CupIndia draw with England in Women's Hockey World Cup

"The way we're playing, they did not expect that we will play two-touch pass," Harendra explained after the match. "They thought we will dribble, show our skills around the field and then make a pass. We have changed. While we have given the freedom of skill to our players, we have moulded them to get the ball moving as quickly as possible. The opponents have not read that India can also play the forehand and backhand pass."

The philosophy cannot be perfected immediately but that's what these Test matches are for anyway. The ongoing three-match series against New Zealand allows Harendra to experiment with his attacking tactics ahead of the crucial Asian Games 2018 beginning on August 18 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

"We have to play attacking hockey (to succeed). And we have to try how it is. We have to try different types of services. We'll try to press hard and see how we can achieve more circle penetrations. Given the energy level and work rate of the players, which was high, we can see that everyone has worked hard to get the ball into the circle. We need to work on the shifting of the ball quickly into the net for which they need speed," Harendra explained after the match.

Against the Black Sticks, India had 18 circle penetrations in the first quarter but were unable to find the net. The conversion rate initially was poor but the team improved its accuracy to score two field goals the rest of the 45 minutes.

"I am not happy (with the conversion rate)," Harendra said. "In the first quarter, I was happy that we made 18 circle penetrations. I do not expect 50 per cent but at least 35-40 per cent shots on goal from those. If we had nine or 10 shots on goal out of those 18, we would have been in the lead in the first quarter itself. That's where we have to work. We are rushing into the ball and hurrying up the scoring. We need to step back if it's too crowded and try from another angle to catch the goalkeeper out of position. We changed that a bit in the second half. The ball was coming inside more often but they need to improve."

They say attack is the best form of defence but India found themselves out of position quite often in the two games against New Zealand. With the players joining the attack, the defensive unit was left empty with only the goalkeeper staying back. Once the Indian attack failed, the New Zealanders quickly countered by lobbing the ball over the Indians to their forwards waiting at the deep. That's how Stephen Jenness has managed to score three goals in the series.

His goal in the second match on Saturday (July 21) in particular exposed the chunks in the Indian defence. Jenness brought the ball down with a wonderful touch and found only goalkeeper PR Sreejesh to beat. As Sreejesh rushed out to cut the angle for Jenness, the Black Sticks forward tucked the ball aside for space and struck into the open goal.

Harendra says he's aware of the frailties of playing an attack-minded game and assures that the team would work on defending counters.

"Whenever we're pressing hard, we are slipping and the opponent throws the ball over the defenders to create a chance and this happened in both the games," Harendra said. "When we are attacking, it doesn't mean that the players only go up for the attack. We should not allow the opponent to throw the ball over us. We also need to build patience in the attack. If we work on that, we will get more circle penetrations and if we do that, the number of shots on goal will increase."

Story first published: Saturday, July 21, 2018, 21:14 [IST]
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