Boria Majumdar
The thumping win over South Korea in the Asia Cup final was yet another example of India’s men’s hockey team peaking at the right time. That triumph also sealed World Cup qualification ahead of a very busy period. In this exclusive interview with Boria Majumdar, RevSportz editor-in-chief, Craig Fulton, the team’s coach, spoke of the success and looked ahead to bigger challenges.
Boria: Massive win, qualification for the World Cup assured. You have this tactical nose to raise the bar exactly when it matters. How do you keep doing this magic?
Fulton: It is called practice [Laughs].
It has been a really good 2 months of build-up that included playing Australia before the Asia Cup. A good camp and playing against Australia was a crucial part of our preparation.
Boria: Was it like Paris, ahead of which the five-test series didn’t go well but you used it as a preparation. Was it the same this time around?
Fulton: The pro league (FIH Pro League) was a bit disappointing although we prepped as well as we could. We had some logistical issues, some of our players arrived late due to visa issues but we were playing well anyways. We just lost by one goal per game and it was like six games out of eight where we lost the first Belgium game and won the last. So, there were signs all this well that we were playing well, but we just didn’t fall in place. The pro league was not the be all and end all because we knew we had the Asia Cup coming up after the pro league. We had a good conversation with the squad and the coaching squad and we put up a plan together and here we are now, having won the Asia cup. Super happy we are.
Boria: Not having to worry about the qualifiers for the World Cup and directly planning for it and also the Asian games. Does it give you a sense of relief and more time to prepare?
Fulton: Yeah, for sure I think the big challenge that we have is if like we said we have Azlan Shah Cup coming up in November, South Africa tour in December, early January is Hockey India league and then Pro league and if you’re still in a qualifier, then it makes it very tricky so I’m glad we have avoided that. The World Cup is in August and then three weeks later the Asian Games, that’s more the focus to try n get a balance and be able to do well in both tournaments.
Boria: Very interesting one and a half months in August and September, right?
Fulton: Yeah, the thing that the Hockey Pro League winner qualifies for the LA Olympics so you have that as well and obviously the Asian Games as well. We’re just trying to plot our way through the next 2-3 months and then I think by January, February, March we will obviously be a lot clearer on what we are going to be doing.
Boria: Lot of exciting talent, Abhishek (Nain), Sukhjeet (Singh) and that start yesterday – the first minute. Your thoughts on that?
Fulton: I think the main thing is we needed to score early and score first and then when you play a defensive team that just wants to counter if you score first they have to change their plan. They didn’t do anything so we decided to manage the ball and just manage the game. It was really important to score first and that was part of the plan.
Boria: Back-to-back medals at the Olympic Games and now this one do you feel more pressure?
Fulton: Well, I think that was always the case when I arrived, I always wanted to get the team be consistently number one and I think we have firmly done that in the last few years. We won the Asia Cup after eight years so things are really positive right now. I think the next big challenge is to do something at the World Cup and to go back to back and win the Asian Games – that’s the goal.
Boria: Paddy Upton made this comment and I would also like to know as that, do you think will it be we are the fittest in the world at this point in time, physically and mentally in world hockey.?
Fulton: We definitely getting stronger mentally and the mental aspect comes from the physical. We have made a conscious effort in the last 24 months to really improve that and not be the team the runs out of gas in the last quarter. To be fair the guys have worked really hard in the last 6 months and as you say that, we will take that as a compliment. We still some room to grow as there are a lot of teams with amazing athletes, speed and sprint ability, and that’s what you need in our sports. I would say we are up there for sure.
Boria: In this period of unwinding, how do you calibrate as there is not really any unwinding in high performance sports in that sense. What does Craig Fulton do to recharge himself an him better?
Fulton: As I have been away for two months from my family so that’s some extended period of time, same with the players and other staff members. Obviously they live in India and don’t see their family as much. I will get back to Dublin tonight. This next week, I’m just going to reconnect with the family, recharge and reflect. We have had an interesting two months which has been mostly success. Now it’s just about putting a plan together Azlan Shah, South Africa and Pro league. I just need some time out to clear my brain then start again recharge and be back in three weeks on the 29th I guess because 1st starts the national camp.
Boria: With this kind of performance at the hero Asia Cup, did you do anything special? Or was nothing needed because they are all professionals.?
Fulton: No, I guess were still in some sort of transition between Australia and Bihar. The first 2-3 days in Bihar was really, really warm and that slowed us down a little bit. We were still playing well but we didn’t finish strong and then I just knew we just needed a few more days. When we got to the Monday after the Kazakhstan game we were a little bit more settled. The other thing is playing tournament hockey because you play all these games that you change the squad but now you only have 16+2 keepers and you’re playing 7 games in 10 days 16 players. They get better and better, they get to play pressure hockey tournament hockey with each other and then there’s no one else coming to change, or coming to give you a solution, you have to find a solution together. We did a very good job with the staff and the technical team on what we needed to do playing different position and with Alan Tan it was just a matter of time before we really adapted and as soon as we adapted from the Malaysian game, then on, we were on another gear. We were two gears up and the China game showed what we can do and then to do back-to-back with China and Korea. Overall, it was very, very positive.
Boria: A quick word on the fantastic crowd.
Fulton: It takes a while to get used to playing with the crowd, it’s a little bit distracting for the players because they just go, go, go, and you just forget what you were doing and forget the control we need. But you can never underestimate the crowd. We love playing for the crowd but at the same time you’ve got to manage as well because sometimes you have to control again versus just every time there’s a counter attack you are expected to score and it doesn’t always happen so it’s a balancing act. I guess we got the balancing right over the last 3-4 games. We had plenty of chances but didn’t have the composure to finish but from Malaysia game, Korea game, and China game, the crowd was behind us and we were on the money to play to the crowd. We controlled our own destiny, I guess that was good.
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Catch the full interview here
🚨 EXCLUSIVE
“I wanted the team to consistently be No. 1 in Asia”
Indian Men’s Hockey coach Craig Fulton opens up on a challenging Asia Cup, Olympic ambitions and the upcoming Hockey World Cup.
In conversation with @BoriaMajumdar @Limca_Official @TheHockeyIndia pic.twitter.com/kG7DRovuoX
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) September 9, 2025