Craig Fulton: India needs two core groups to peak for both World Cup and Asian Games
India men’s hockey team coach Craig Fulton on Monday said his focus will be on building squad depth as the team gears up for a packed calendar, which includes the FIH World Cup and the Asian Games. A gap of only three weeks between the two tournaments only makes the task stiffer
“It’s very difficult. If you were in Europe and you said, ‘you’ve just played the World Cup, and you’re gonna play the Europeans three weeks later for your Olympic qualifier’, I don’t think they’d accept it… because of how difficult this is. But we have to accept it. So, the main theme that we have is to create more depth,” Fulton said on the sidelines of Hockey India League (HIL).
Fulton added that India was planning ahead for this particular reason when it had assembled the India A team for tours to South Africa and Europe, and picked an inexperienced side for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup last year.
READ | India junior captain Rohit eyes senior call-up, embraces learning curve at SG Pipers
“That’s why we had the India A team, and that’s why we pushed that young team into Azlan Shah, and then rested some of the more senior guys. We’re trying to obviously have our strongest team peak for both [World Cup and Asian Games]. So, we’re going to have to look at just more depth for the World Cup team and not have a weaker team there. But also remember that the qualifier is the Asian Games,” he said.
India’s last medal at the World Cup came 50 years ago, a gold during the 1975 edition in Kuala Lumpur. The best the side has managed since then is a fifth-place finish in 1982 and 1994. Given the burden of expectations on this unit, especially after back-to-back Olympic bronze medals, Fulton said keeping a core group ready for both tournaments will be important.
“To qualify for LA 2028 is really important. The nostalgia and the history of not performing in the World Cup is also important. It’s been 50-odd years without a medal. So, if you’re trying to peak in both tournaments, then you need two groups – a core that will play in both, but you need a team around that so that some fresh legs can come up for the next tournament. That’s in an ideal world,” Fulton said.
While the HIL offers a platform for fresh talent, Fulton insisted the probables for the upcoming grind in 2026 are already earmarked. The HIL now will help see if these players can perform consistently in their positions under high pressure.
“The talent has already been identified through the under-21, and through the India A and the senior team. So what we’re looking for here is potential for the future. You can’t take someone straight away from here and just put them straight in.
“But you never want to lose talent. Once you identify, we need to bring it in. Then where do we place it and how can we put the best structures around that. We know what we’re looking for and if there’s consistency in those positions, then we’ll name a squad after this and that’ll be the pro league squad,” Fulton said.
Published on Jan 06, 2026