Harmanpreet Singh: ‘Playing well in patches won’t work’

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[popcorn number=”3-2″ desc=”India’s winning margin against Netherlands when the two teams met in their previous encounter during the 2025-26 FIH Pro League in June” class=”Default”]

[popcorn number=”Five” desc=”No. of goals scored by Harmanpreet Singh in the ongoing FIH World Cup — the most by an Indian” class=”Default”]

Facing a “do-or-die” contest against Paris Olympic champion Netherlands, Indian hockey skipper Harmanpreet Singh has warned his squad that a quarter-by-quarter effort won’t cut it, and only a full 60-minute masterclass will keep their campaign alive in the FIH World Cup. India will have to start from scratch in the second round. England and pool A topper Netherlands will have a three-point cushion as they had beaten India and Argentina in the first round respectively. That makes both the second-round matches and the Dutch and Argentina games virtual knockouts for India.

“Playing well in patches won’t work. We have to play good hockey till the whistle is blown. We have to maintain the same body language and attitude, that is the most important thing,” Harmanpreet told PTI ahead of the big match. “We have video-analysed our mistakes in the last three matches, and the focus is on not repeating them. Defense has to be impeccable as we know that we can create opportunities in the opponents’ circle and earn PC. But mistakes in the backline are not acceptable. We must not concede goals on silly mistakes,” he said.

India had defeated Netherlands 3-2 in the last match of FIH Pro League 2025-26 season in June and the captain feels that his team can do it again provided they stick to the game plan and play smartly. “In that match we controlled the ball possession and did not let them win the ball in our half. If we could play with a similar strategy and energy, there is no reason why we can’t repeat that.

“We will focus on rotation, speed and co ordination as a team. We have senior players in every line to guide the youngsters and they should take the responsibility,” he said. The tournament’s top scorer with five goals to his name, the ace drag flicker will be on the Dutch team’s radar, but he feels that India has more weapons to surprise them.

“There is no pressure; rather, there is clarity that we have to win it. There is no other way. It’s a do-or-die match for us. Individually also I am not feeling any pressure. I will do what I have been doing for years now. If they are focusing of me, we have other weapons too to surprise them,” he said. Harmanpreet also feels that being the underdogs will work in the Indian team’s favour.

“We have beaten higher-ranked teams before. But it’s good that we will enter the field as underdogs. Defeating big teams in front of their crowd boosts confidence. We have a great opportunity and we can do it,” he said.

Great opportunity for India, pressure on them: Fulton

India coach Craig Fulton believed his side has a “great opportunity” to upset the hosts but said they will have to be at their best. “They are Olympic gold medallists and are not in the top three teams for nothing. They have good set-pieces and PCD. We have made some good improvements against them, but we have to be on our game to put pressure on them,” Fulton said.

India’s historic win over Australia at the Paris Olympics gives them belief, but Fulton said the past result means little now. “We beat Australia in Paris for the first time in 50 years. But that is the stat and we have to do it now in the next 24 hours. We have got a great opportunity and come as underdogs, so all the pressure is on them,” he said.

Fulton also stressed the need for India to press intelligently and capitalise on their chances. “We have got to press well, be smart and efficient when we win the ball. When we get our chance, we have got to be composed and make that count,” he said. On the expected home support for the Dutch, Fulton said India are used to playing in front of passionate crowds.

“It’s like the support for us in Rourkela or Bhubaneshwar. The crowd is like the 12th man supporting them from the stands. The only way is to score goals and put pressure on the opponent,” he said.

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