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Selecting a World Cup squad in India, where failure triggers immediate public outcry and institutional scrutiny, requires a different form of courage. Craig Fulton's squad selection reflects a sharp eye on both immediate needs and long-term stability. The inclusion of dynamic young talent like Yashdeep Siwach and speedster Aditya Arjun Lalage over established names raised eyebrows in traditional hockey circles, but Fulton's rationale remains pragmatic.
"Yashdeep is a versatile player who can slot seamlessly into defence or midfield. His defensive strength is paramount," Fulton notes. "With Aditya, we also have an eye on the LA Olympics. Raj Kumar Pal is a proven, high-quality operator with immense tournament experience who remains in our reserves, but we need to give youngsters like Aditya high-stakes tournament exposure, so they thrive. It's about building genuine positional depth."
The forward line features seasoned campaigners like Mandeep Singh, heading into his fourth World Cup, alongside Sukhjeet and Dilpreet. Adding intrigue to the front unit is Shilanand Lakra, returning to peak form after an injury layoff. For all structures and composure, modern hockey needs, at times, raw pace with skills to match and in Lakra the coach sees an introverted weapon capable of killing defences. Even though this is Lakra's first World Cup, some pressure is imminent.
"I prefer the word 'focus' over 'pressure.' You don't run away from pressure; you run to it," says Fulton regarding Lakra. "Shilanand is an incredible talent - fast, unpredictable, and skilled on both sides of his body. Off the pitch, he's level-headed. He has moments of absolute brilliance, and that's precisely what we're priming him for."
Drawn in Pool D alongside England, Wales, and traditional rivals Pakistan, India enters the tournament on the back of encouraging Pro League displays in Rotterdam and London, where they claimed five victories from eight matches against top-tier opposition. On paper, India's form suggests smooth passage into the crossover rounds. Yet Fulton refuses to allow his squad to wander into premature complacency.
"We keep an ideal goal and a realistic goal," Fulton admits candidly. "Ideally, we want to win every tournament. Realistically, ranking-wise, we are seventh or eighth right now (FIH rank 8th). I think some analysts gave us a 5% chance of winning. Perfect. That suits us just fine. We come in under the radar, aiming to peak at the right time. Rankings only matter after the final whistle. Judge us after the tournament."
Adding to the complexity is a brutal international calendar. Within two weeks of the World Cup's conclusion, India must compete in the Asian Games - a high-stakes tournament carrying direct qualification for the LA Olympic Games.
"If you told European teams to play a World Cup and then an Olympic qualifier a fortnight later, they'd call you crazy," Fulton chuckles. "But we've built a real conveyor belt of talent through our India A and U-21 programs. We are actively closing the gap between senior regulars and the next generation so that our intensity and fitness never drop, regardless of back-to-back scheduling."
A recurring anxiety surrounding India's big-match temperament has been the heavy reliance on captain Harmanpreet Singh during penalty corners. When Harmanpreet's drag-flicks hit the backboard, India looks unstoppable; when opposing rushers neutralize him, India's attack has historically stalled. Fulton has spent the past eighteen months de-risking this vulnerability.
"Defending runners are so fast and well-protected now that scoring off PCs has become incredibly difficult across world hockey," Fulton observes. "Harman is a world-class operator who delivers in crucial moments, but we cannot rely solely on one man. We have developed four other capable options in Jugraj, Sanjay, Rajinder, and Amit. We are broadening our arsenal so that the team produces goals from multiple avenues."
By spreading the drag-flicking responsibility across a five-man rotation, India is no more reliant on just one individual at the top of the 'D' It is another layer in Fulton's obsession with removing chance from the equation.
Since Craig Fulton arrived on the scene, hope in Indian hockey circle has built up like a rising tide. Not simply because his resume carries world-class pedigree having served as assistant coach to the formidable Belgian side that swept Olympic and World Championship gold but because Indian hockey finally found an architect. For decades, the national team operated as a brilliant yet wildly volatile outfit, bouncing uncontrollably between brilliance and disarray. Fulton arrived promising a blueprint: structure, process, and the quiet tactical discipline needed to convert occasional flashes of art into sustained victories.
The returns have already proven tangible. An Olympic bronze, alongside gold medals at the Asian Games, Asia Cup, and Asian Champions Trophy, has firmly re-established India's dominance in the region. Yet, a persistent, hunger remains. While Pro League campaigns continue to reflect tactical improvements rather than podium dominance, the ultimate objective looms over Indian hockey like a Specter: breaking the 51-year-old curse. Not since 1975, when Ashok Kumar's famous winner sealed gold in Kuala Lumpur, has India reached the semifinals of a World Cup.
In Fulton, India has a thinker, the kind of coach who evaluates every shift before stepping onto the pitch. Living in Ireland, having played for South Africa at the 2004 Athens Olympics - where he lined up against a Dilip Tirkey-led Indian side, he now finds himself working alongside Tirkey, the current President of Hockey India. Fate has a subtle, circular way of intertwining people in this sport. Unruffled under pressure, Fulton is a picture of serenity and that reflects in assembling a World Cup squad anchored by an equal measure of defensive rigidity and lethal counter-attacking intent.
For years, critics have tagged Fulton's tactical framework as overly defensive, a perception, the South African swiftly dismantles by pointing to necessity rather than any form of timidity. In his eyes, structure is not about handcuffing a team; it is the spring that launches the attack.
"If you look at Spain when they won the World Cup, they conceded just one goal in the entire tournament. Once your heart is in order defensively, you can attack from anywhere," Fulton explains. "Our motto is 'press to counter.' We want to press from everywhere—zonal deep, half-court, high zonal, or man-to-man. It's a different style than trying to win a chaotic 6–5 game. When we play with intent to be organized in defence, we create far more counterattacks. We are currently one of the top three teams in the world in winning the ball back in the opposition's half."
This isn't hockey driven by wild emotion; it is hockey built on spatial awareness and swift execution. Where previous Indian sides surrendered to the tempo dictated by physically dominant European powerhouses, Fulton's system forces the opposition into narrow, claustrophobic channels, turning turnover balls into instant counterattacks.
Watching Fulton operate on the sidelines is like watching a top-notch strategist at work, every tactic calculated, press patterns rehearsed, post-match analysis delivered without hyperbole or theatre. Yet, even for a coach consumed by the game twenty-four hours a day, finding an off switch is essential to sustain the gruelling demands of international management.
"This job lives with me constantly," Fulton reflects quietly. "The only time I truly switch off is when I speak with my family back home in Ireland, or when I manage to get away for an 18-hole round of golf. It gives me the mental reset I need."
Hundreds of training hours, endless video sessions on opponent press structures, and meticulous physical conditioning now converge on a single pitch. As India prepares to take the field to challenge five decades of history, Fulton's mindset remains crystal clear: talk is easy, process creates opportunity, and the final scoreboard will render its judgment.
World Cup Squad
Goalkeepers: Mohith HS, Suraj Karkera
Defenders: Jarmanpreet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh (c), Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Sanjay, Sumit, Yashdeep Siwach
Midfielders: Rajinder Singh, Aditya Arjun Lalage, Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Vivek Sagar Prasad
Forwards: Dilpreet Singh, Shilanand Lakra, Sukhjeet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Abhishek
