Craig Fulton signals sweeping India squad changes as team shifts focus to LA 2028
Craig Fulton, chief coach of India’s men's hockey team, said the side could see major changes as it begins the transition towards the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and that a new squad will be picked for the home leg of the Pro League in February.
Fulton said the coaching staff would use the Pro League home leg to introduce fresh players, with India scheduled to face Germany, Argentina, Great Britain and Spain in that stage. "We will select a new squad for the Pro League in January (February). There is very little time to train because the players will go back to their respective franchises. We will name a new squad, which will play in the Pro League, and then start the 2027-28 cycle with that squad," Fulton told PTI.
Before the Pro League selection, India will travel to New Zealand this month for a three-match international Test series that forms part of centenary celebrations marking 100 years since India’s first hockey tour to New Zealand in 1926. The matches are scheduled in Auckland on November 19, 21 and 22, and Fulton said the squad for that tour had not yet been finalised and would be announced in the coming days.
Fulton made clear the New Zealand trip will inform selection decisions. "That is what we are going to assess after New Zealand. After that tour, we will select a new core group and a new squad," the South African coach said, signalling an evaluation period after the three Test matches.
The coach noted India’s squad has already undergone considerable turnover in recent years, pointing to the difference between the team that played at the 2023 Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai and the side at the 2024 edition in Hulunbuir. The report said nine players have been changed since the previous squad.
Fulton framed the planned changes against a mixed 12 months for Indian hockey, noting the team finished eighth at the World Cup under Harmanpreet Singh but went on to retain their Asian Games title and secure direct qualification for the 2028 Olympics. "We didn't score goals when we needed to in the big games (at the World Cup), and we conceded some soft goals. So, both our defence and attack need to improve," he said. "Against Asian opposition, our ability to score goals and defend is good. But against European opposition and higher-ranked teams, we have to keep improving."
On the process for altering personnel, Fulton emphasised collective improvement rather than singling out individuals. "We are looking at both attack and defence. But it is not about identifying a particular player at this stage. It is about mindset and mentality in the big games. All players make mistakes, and all players make good plays," he said, and indicated that selections for the Pro League will follow the New Zealand assessment and then launch the 2027-28 cycle.
India's immediate confirmed engagement is the Auckland Test series on November 19, 21 and 22; Fulton has said the touring squad will be named in the coming days and that selection decisions for the Pro League in January/February will be made after evaluating performances on that tour.