Mumbai, Aug 8 2024-
Member of the 1980 gold medal-winning Indian team, M.M Somaya said the defensive tactics promoted by the Indian team’s head coach Craig Fulton were successful as the team won a second successive medal in the Olympics on Thursday.
India defeated Spain 2-1 in the bronze medal match in the Paris Olympic Games, riding on a brace of goals by skipper Harmanpreet Singh and some brilliant saves by goalkeeper P.R Sreejesh in the bronze medal match in Paris, adding another bronze to the one they bagged in Tokyo.
Somaya said the team has reaped the rewards of Fulton’s tactics of building on the defense and the mental toughness provided by Paddy Upton.
“Head coach Craig Fulton’s defensive tactics have worked wonders for the team. It is very important to have a strong defense. For years people in India have believed that being aggressive means putting five players up front. With such tactics teams used to score one goal but would concede four at their end,” said Somaya hailing Harmanpreet and Sreejesh for their brilliant performance throughout the Olympics.
Somaya, who was a member of the team that defeated Spain in the final to win India’s last gold medal in the Olympics, said he had expected the team to do well in Paris.
Being a member of the senior selection committee, Somaya said he was told by coach Craig Fulton that they were not going all out in matches in Australia, that India lost 5-0, and the FIH Pro League just before the Olympics.
“Fulton said they were not playing their actual game and keeping a lot of things under wraps against Australia and in the Pro League matches. They were not playing their real combinations. So, I was confident that the team would do well and they have vindicated that confidence by winning a bronze medal,” said Somaya, who was captain of the Indian team in the 1988 Olympic Games. (Agency)
