Just six seconds after the push-back, India handed Spain the ball – and with it, control of the evening. What followed was all too familiar: a midfield gone missing, composure melting in the harsh Hobart sun, and the back-to-back Olympic bronze medallists performing as though they had forgotten the very basics of trapping, passing and shooting.
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The final outcome, too, was painfully familiar: a 2–0 defeat. It was India’s fifth straight loss this Pro League season – and their 12th in the last 13 games, stretching back to the previous campaign. If there was ever a time to start fretting about Sunday’s clash with Australia, this was it. India’s bête noire are operating on a different plane, intimidating opponents with their physicality and remaining as ruthless and unforgiving as ever, as the five wins out of five suggest. Spain was supposed to be the easier of the two opponents in the Hobart leg of the competition. But the manner in which they outplayed India into submission will add to coach Craig Fulton’s concerns.
Transitioning India
Fulton, whose side is struggling with the player transition phase, was candid about what ailed the team on Saturday. “Just to get better on the ball, man,” he said with a resigned tone during the half-time pitch-side interview. “A lot of their counterattacks are coming from our mistakes.”
Those mistakes compounded the frustration, because they were often made in critical areas and prevented India from building any semblance of rhythm.
The numbers underline the problem. In the first half, India entered Spain’s ‘D’ just twice. Six months ago, against far inferior Asian opposition, they were breaching the circle almost once every two minutes. Against a competent European side of comparable quality – and with a squad featuring several young players short on experience at this intensity – it would be naïve to expect that level of dominance.
But Spain exposed what India currently lacks. They were direct and sharp with the ball; India were ponderous in their decision-making and short on the creativity or conviction to attack the Spanish goal with purpose. Inside the ‘D’, Spain wasted no time pulling the trigger. They were as assured with reverse hits as with forehands, avoided unnecessary touches, and flooded the circle instinctively, teammates finding each other without hesitation.
That is how the opening goal arrived. A ball drilled into India’s ‘D’ travelled unchecked for nearly 50 yards. Ignacio Abajo slipped in behind Sumit – who was completely clueless that there was a man lurking over his right shoulder – and applied the faintest touch to guide it past Suraj Karkera. The sixth-minute strike was early confirmation that this would be another long evening for Fulton’s side.
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India’s own sloppiness only deepened the hole. Apart from Abhishek, no forward made a genuine attempt on goal. In midfield, Hardik Singh alone showed any real intent to create chances or to support the defence. India tried attacking from the right flank, but the players overran with the ball while sneaking into the Spanish circle from the baseline. Simple forward passes were easily interjected, and the forwards lacked the ingenuity to find a foot to earn a penalty corner when there was no clear shot at goal.
Because the midfield kept surrendering possession cheaply, India’s defence was under constant pressure. And though the scoreline suggests improvement, the lapses at the back were still glaring enough to prompt disbelief. The seven penalty corners conceded by the experienced defence, led by Amit Rohidas, tell their own story. Fulton would be relieved his team lost by just two goals, the second coming from Ignacio Cobos in the 36th minute.
Final scoreline: India 0 lost to Spain 2 (Ignacio Abajo 6’, Ignacio Cobos 36’).
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