Asian Champions Trophy: India ticks the right boxes ahead of Asian Games but there is still a lot of work to do

India win Asian Champions Trophy 4-3 vs Malaysia, displaying resilience, confidence & discipline. Team's fitness, ability to take decisions & younger players stepping up key to success. Paddy Upton's presence to help team stay disciplined & calm under pressure.

The Indian men’s hockey team lifted the Asian Champions Trophy for the fourth time as it continues its progress under new coach Craig Fulton with the Asian Games title and an Olympic spot as the next big target.

The final against Malaysia, coming back from being two goals down to win 4-3, was the toughest test for the team through the competition and augurs well for the future. It also gives Fulton a better idea of the boxes the team has already ticked in his brief three-month tenure and the ones that still need work.

The biggest positive for the Indians would be the confidence that they can turn the game around even at the end and have the legs to push any team hard all the way.

“Even if you’re two or three goals up, you still have to be fit enough to manage them coming at you, taking their goalkeeper off, playing with an extra man. So fitness is probably one of the main priorities of the game we are playing at the moment.

“We can still get fitter and stronger, but I think the biggest positive is that, mentally, you start to believe that you have another gear,” Fulton admitted after the dramatic final that saw Malaysia race ahead and take control early on before India regrouped and pushed back towards the end of the 3rd quarter.

The fact that the Indians barely had any recovery time — playing 11 matches in two continents over 19 days — and still doing well for itself reflects well on the team’s resilience and ability to play at a high level continuously.

There were errors, of course, especially in the final when lapses in the defence led to two of the Malaysian goals, but it is to the team’s credit that it bounced back from them.