KUALA LUMPUR – India’s national hockey head coach Craig Fulton is amazed by the sudden rise of China in the sport, citing that they are a new Asian force to be reckoned with.
The 49-year-old South African coach’s comments came after the Men in Blue won their fifth Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) title by defeating home team China 1-0 in the final, which took place in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, yesterday.
The crucial goal in the final was scored by defender Jugraj Singh in the 51st minute, adding the title to India’s collection after victories in 2011, 2016, 2018, and 2023.
Speaking to Scoop from Hulunbuir, Fulton, who led his Indian side to win an Olympic bronze in Paris, said that his team had a tough time against their Chinese opponents, who showed a high level of resilience throughout the four-quarter match.
The Chinese team, currently ranked 23rd in the world, qualified for the final by winning three out of six matches, starting from the pool stage up to the semifinals.
Under the tutelage of Yu Seung-jin, China also defeated Malaysia 4-2 in a pool match.
“The Chinese team showed a lot of character in their gameplay, and they have improved tremendously over the years. I’m surprised by their progress and how they’ve become a formidable team in just a few years.
“We have to admit they are a new force in the Asian region, and we need to be well-prepared when we face them in future tournaments.
“In the ACT final, we had a lot of trouble breaking through the Chinese defence, despite several efforts from Harmanpreet Singh and the rest of the players.
“They were deadly on the counterattack, and we were fortunate to win the match by capitalising after they were one man down in the last quarter.
“If it weren’t for that incident, I doubt we would have won today. We need to work more on overcoming defensively strong opponents, which has been our challenge since the Paris Olympics.
“We’re on a good run, winning matches – but it’s not enough for me. We need to improve, and I hope we can defeat China by a larger margin in future tournaments,” Fulton said when contacted.
At the same time, Fulton credited goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak for his heroic saves, noting that his contributions on the turf kept India in the game.
The 27-year-old Pathak, making his 125th appearance for India, made 12 saves against China in the final.
“He was our wall today (yesterday), and we wouldn’t have won the title without him.
“It’s not easy for him to fill the shoes of PR Sreejesh, but he’s been amazing since becoming the first-choice goalkeeper for the team. I look forward to seeing him repeat these performances in the months ahead, and he will definitely be travelling with us for next year’s FIH Pro League,” Fulton added.
India is currently ranked fifth in the world, with 2,950.21 points.
Meanwhile, India’s arch-rivals, Pakistan, came back from a goal down to outplay world number 14 South Korea, winning 5-2 to finish third in the ACT.
South Korea’s Yang Ji Hun emerged as the top scorer in the ACT with nine goals, while Malaysia finished last in the six-nation tournament. – September 18, 2024