'Concede fewer penalty corners'- Viren Rasquinha advises Indian men's hockey team

Former Indian hockey skipper Viren Rasquinha believes that the Indian hockey team will have to stop conceding unnecessary penalty corners in crucial moments to do well at the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.

India won a bronze medal in Hockey at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics after a gap of four decades.

They are placed in a tough Pool B alongside defending champions Belgium, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, and Ireland in the upcoming Paris Olympics.

"In the Australia series as well as the last few FIH Pro League matches they've just been considering far too many penalty corners," Rasquinha said during a panel discussion organised by the Sports Journalists Association of Mumbai here on Tuesday.

"And that is something that the defence... The defence doesn't start with the four defenders. Once you lose possession of the ball, every single player starting with the forward becomes the first line of defence," he said.

"If you defend as a team and attack as a team, everyone has a role to play. It doesn't matter whether you're 30 seconds off on the pitch, you've got to make it count," Rasquinha added.

Rasquinha said a lot will depend on India's goalkeeper PR Sreejesh and the defenders once it comes to crucial moments.

"One thing is (that) you cannot win tournaments without a solid defence and a sensational keeper. A lot of, I would say, the burden on the shoulders of Sreejesh and the defence set by Harmanpreet (Singh) to keep it really tight," he said.

Rasquinha said India head coach Craig Fulton has got the team he wanted, but pointed out one glaring miss in the squad.

"I don't think the other drag flickers are anywhere close to the same level (as Harmanpreet). But in terms of ability, this team has the experience and the expertise to get across the finish line," he said.

"I'm happy that the coach has got the team of his choice. Especially in hockey, where, unlike cricket, there are fewer stats to back you up, it's very important for the coach to get a team of his choice," he said.