Pro League: Inconsistency, poor penalty-corner conversion in focus as India take on Ireland

India men's hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh would be wary of his side's inconsistent performance, which has dogged them so far this season, as the hosts take on Ireland in the FIH Pro League here on Friday. Having ended 2024 on a high following their Paris Olympic Games bronze-medal success and a bagful of accolades at the FIH annual awards, Indian is finding it difficult to gather momentum and perform consistently.

The hosts opened the tournament with a 1-3 defeat to Spain, bounced back with a 2-0 win against them last weekend but were outplayed 1-4 by Germany. The team then eked out a 1-0 win against the world No.4 side with Harmanpreet and his deputy Hardik Singh, who missed the first leg against Germany due to injury, returning. But as No.5 India gear up for the contest against Ireland, ranked five places below the hosts, captain Harmanpreet said being consistent and building on the momentum is the way forward.

"These upcoming matches are vital for us as we look to find consistency and build momentum in the Pro League. Every game is an opportunity to improve and gather crucial points, and we know Ireland will present a tough challenge.

"Even though they are lower in the standings, they're a team that fights hard and can surprise any opponent, so we can't afford to take them lightly," said Harmanpreet.

Ireland had finished last in the 2023-24 edition of the Pro League and are unlikely to significantly trouble India, but given wobbly start the hosts have had, they may cause some problems. India's penalty-corner conversion still doesn't instil confidence and continues to be their Achilles heel, and the captain once again pointed it out ahead of the Ireland clash.

"Our main focus will be on improving our penalty corner conversions, which have been an area we've struggled with. We've been creating opportunities, but we need to be more clinical in executing them," said Harmanpreet.

The team members also tends to come under pressure once they are in the lead, as was evident during their 1-3 loss to Spain in the Pro League opener here. Despite leading by a goal, India were swamped in the last two quarters when they became ultra-defensive and conceded several penalty corners. Despite earning 14 penalty corners across four matches, the Indians have yet to convert any of these opportunities into goals. The team did well to bounce back in the second game against the Spaniards, but the perennial issue resurfaced against Germany.

"The team has been working hard in training to address these issues, and we're confident that we'll show progress in the next matches. We're ready to give it our all, and we hope to carry forward the momentum from our last win (against Germany) and keep improving as we move forward in the league," added Harmanpreet, about his side, which is placed seventh in the standings with six points from four games.

Ireland, too, have struggled in the tournament so far and are currently at the bottom of the points table with just one point from four games. They have lost three matches in regulation time and one in a shootout, making them eager for a turnaround in form. Historically, India have had the upper hand against the European side, having won seven out of the nine encounters between the two teams since 2013. Ireland have managed just one win, while one tie ended in a draw. PTI