‘We need to be stronger defensively’: Harmanpreet on India’s eighth-place finish at the Hockey World Cup

Harmanpreet Singh of India (AP Photo) India captain Harmanpreet Singh has admitted that the team needs to strengthen its defense after the men’s side ended a disappointing campaign at the Hockey World Cup in eighth place. India’s hopes of avoiding an eighth-place finish were dashed by co-hosts Belgium, who edged them 4-3 in a penalty shoot-out after the two teams played out a 3-3 draw in regulation time.Belgium led 3-2 going into the closing stages, but Harmanpreet converted a penalty corner with just 26 seconds remaining to force the game into a shootout. The Indian skipper ended the tournament with eight wickets.

“I’m not happy with eighth place”

Harmanpreet acknowledged that India took confidence from their performance against one of the world’s top teams, but admitted that the final placing was disappointing.“Playing against the best team in the world in front of their fans and performing well as a team is a big boost. We are happy with the performance against Belgium but not with eighth place,” he said.India started the tournament strongly, beating Wales 3–1 and Pakistan 5–3 before losing 2–4 to England in the pool stage. Their campaign then unraveled in the second round when defeats against the Netherlands and Argentina ended their hopes of reaching the semi-finals.

Defense remains an issue

Harmanpreet said the tournament highlighted India’s need to improve collectively in defence, especially against the world’s best teams.“If we don’t defend well as a team, the big teams will trouble you. We have to be stronger defensively. We have been lagging behind in that area,” the captain said.“There are no individual goals. If we win, we win as a team, and if we lose, it’s also a collective responsibility,” he added.

The Asian Games is now the target

Despite a disappointing campaign at the FIFA World Cup, Harmanpreet said that India must quickly focus on its next major target – the Asian Games.“It’s a journey and now our next target is the Asian Games. We want to win a gold medal there and qualify for the Los Angeles Olympics,” he said.Harmanpreet’s eight goals were one of the few bright spots in India’s campaign, but the eighth-place finish means the team will now have to address their defensive shortcomings as they begin their journey to the Asian Games and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.