India head coach Craig Fulton has called for his men to refocus ahead of what he calls a ‘new tournament’ in the second round of the men’s World Cup.
It’s been a mixed start for India after finishing second behind England in the first Pool stage. The defeat against the world No. 3 side means India will not have any carryover points into the next round and will need two wins to give itself a good chance of qualifying for the semifinal.
“We’re a little bit behind the eight ball because we didn’t take the three points through. But at this level as well, any team can beat any team. That doesn’t mean we’re out. We have to take care of our two games. We’ll just go one game at a time and let’s see what happens,” Fulton told Sportstar.
A deficient defensive structure and unforced errors resulting in transitions have proved costly in the last two matches. India has let in eight goals, which is the worst defensive record among the top eight teams left in the tournament.
Fulton emphasised getting the pressing right and on counterattacks, with two matches against two of the dangerous sides, Netherlands and Argentina, to come. India’s recent meetings against these two sides yielded just one 3-2 win over the Dutch, while losing the other three with an aggregate scoreline of 4-15.
“I think we also, from an offensive point of view, we left some goals out there, especially in the first game. And then we struggled a little bit defensively in the third quarter, one quarter against England, which is our fault.
“We know that. And on the back of that, the Pakistan game is a totally different game. It’s a game that is steeped in history, where we need to take more structure into that game, and it got away from us a little bit.
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“But at the same time, we played well offensively and then let them back in the game. So there’s learning in every game. And now we have a totally different opposition, that if we give them too many opportunities, yes, they will punish you.
“We’re playing well going forward, and we need to keep improving on the defence and keeping the confidence in going forward. So the press, the counter, is where we need to just keep hammering,” said the South African.
While Harmanpreet Singh’s form makes India a lethal Penalty Corner outfit, the three goals from field play rank it ninth in the 16-team tournament. Forward Abhishek Nain cautioned after the Pakistan game that if better connections aren’t forged, India will struggle in the next round.
On India’s lack of field goals, Fulton said, “It’s a [matter of] small composure. They play a certain way, and one team plays man-to-man, one team plays zonal, which puts seven players, eight players in the D. That’s a different approach to playing if there were three in the D. We’ve got different plans for both teams, but at the same time, we’ve got to implement our plan.”
Published on Aug 21, 2026
