Ấn Độ trỗi dậy tại Asia Cup Hockey: Shilanand Lakra tỏa sáng, hàng công 'lột xác' dưới thời HLV Fulton

India head coach Craig Fulton was under pressure after the 2-2 draw against South Korea in the Men's Hockey Asia Cup on Wednesday, where his team missed a slew of chances. When he came to talk to reporters after the match, he was a bit disappointed but not dejected at all. He was adamant that his team would score goals in the next match if they could keep up with the same kind of performance. "I don't think you can play two games and do the same thing twice. I expect there will be a difference tomorrow," he said.

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The difference was obvious on Thursday against Malaysia in their second Super 4 match at the Asia Cup. Despite going down in the first minute of the match and not being up to the mark in the opening quarter, the home team clicked in the second and scored three goals there, before eventually winning the tie 4-1. Manpreet Singh equalised off the rebound following a penalty corner. That was followed by a superb team goal which ended with a superb pass from Shilanand Lakra, which was converted by Sukhjeet Singh. Lakra scored the third with a lovely deflection and he won the penalty corner which led to the fourth goal, scored by Vivek Sagar Prasad.

So far in the tournament, the Indian forwards have had their struggles, but against Malaysia, Fulton would've been extremely pleased with what he saw from Lakra. He has been on an upward curve since he started featuring regularly for the senior team. There might have been a few matches where he has not had much of an impact, but there's largely been no fault with his work rate. Against Malaysia, he made a direct impact with his stick work.

"He's coming into his own. He's got natural ability. He's quick, he can press, he can score, he can pass, he can dodge. When he's comfortable, when he's at the right place mentally, then you'll see him shine," Fulton said about Lakra's performance after the game.

The way Lakra created space in a tight situation inside the D before passing to Sukhjeet for India's second goal showed his creative ability and then the way he deftly deflected the ball into the goal for India's third goal showed his finishing skill too.

Even when the result was all but confirmed, with just a couple of minutes to play, Lakra pressed and won the ball inside the D and almost scored his second of the night with a powerful reverse hit.

Lakra had to undergo a lot of pain to get into the right mentality. When he made his debut back in 2018, it was evident that he had all the talent to play regularly for the senior team. But as he was making his place, he suffered a terrible knee injury in 2022 before the Pro League games at home which ultimately required an ACL surgery. It was a tough time which became even more of a struggle when he lost his father in the same year. He was feeling terrible for his mother who saw her young son and her husband both bed-ridden for months.

"Only the person who has been injured knows the pain and sadness of it. It was a very difficult time. I got a lot of support from my teammates. I saw my seniors playing regular hockey despite having two knee surgeries. I had the confidence that I would play again," Lakra said.

After getting fit, Lakra made his way back and impressed Fulton who is now trusting the young forward to play regularly. Under Fulton, Lakra's knowledge about understanding his team's structure and playing to it has improved massively.

By winning against Malaysia, who hadn't lost so far in the tournament, India have taken some pressure off themselves. A draw or a loss after their South Korea match would've made World Cup qualification dicey because they are facing China in the last match of the Super 4. China had caused India trouble when the teams met during the group stage, before India won 4-3 thanks to a Harmanpreet Singh penalty corner.

The teams will have a rest day on Friday and get back on the field to play their final Super 4 games. India, now topping the table, will need to ensure they don't fall to a loss against China to make it to the final.