In Focus by The Hindu After the Hockey Pro League setback, how ready is India for this year's World Cup and Asian Games?
Feb 23, 2026
Uthra Ganesan, The Hindu’s hockey correspondent who analyzes team performance and tactics, breaks down India’s worrying Pro League losses. She highlights defensive, goalkeeping and fitness concerns. She discusses the need to refresh the long-standing core, missed chances to blood youngsters, and the search for a reliable goalkeeper. The pressure on coaching and quick fixes before major tournaments is also examined.
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Home Pro League Losses Cost Crucial Match Practice
- Pro League home matches were unusually critical because these were India's only home games and valuable match practice before heavy travel.
- Uthra Ganesan notes losing home advantage matters since India are traditionally slow starters overseas and will now face extensive travel.
Back-to-Back Majors Make Peaking Impossible
- The timing of tournaments makes peaking twice unrealistic: World Cup and Asian Games are less than three weeks apart.
- Uthra Ganesan warns no team can truly peak for two majors within such a short window, raising selection and periodisation dilemmas.
Shocking Scorelines Reveal Basic Breakdown
- Poor performances aren't unique to India; other top teams like Spain also started poorly, but the manner of India's defeats was especially alarming.
- Uthra Ganesan emphasizes sloppy basics—errant passes and coordination lapses—beyond mere results.