Few things in Indian sport are as secretly guarded these days as the Paris preparation of the hockey team. Back in SAI Bangalore, their Olympics training base, cameras are prohibited during training, the entry of outsiders is regulated and players are careful what they reveal – more importantly, what they don’t.The hush-hush nature of Craig Fulton’s preparations for next month’s Games extended to London. Last Saturday, when asked in a mid-game interview against Germany why he hadn’t used one of his substitutes, Jarmanpreet Singh, for the entire first half – a rarity in hockey given the luxury of rolling subs – Fulton smiled and replied: “Top secret”.
By all accounts, it is evident that the chief coach is holding a few cards close to his chest, hoping to reveal them only in Paris. Going ...
