Craig Fulton disappeared into the dressing room furiously wiping his tactics board blank. Nothing, after all, that unfolded in the first half made any sense.
India’s defenders were pushing forward, trying, in vain, to score. The forwards were falling back, playing a part in conceding goals rather than preventing. As the attackers and back line failed miserably in their primary duties, a midfielder, who rarely features on the scoresheet, sprang out of nowhere to score a wonder goal.
This can’t have been the India coach’s gameplan, surely?
It was that kind of a night of the Asia Cup, though. A downpour so heavy that the hockey field, normally designed to soak it all, was waterlogged; and a game that is rarely stopped because of rain getting suspended; of a push-back delayed by 53 minutes and the hosts needing another 45 minutes to show up.
𝐍𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐈𝐌! 😎
Hardik Singh and his sensational run from the midfield to slot in India’s opener against Korea at the Hero Asia Cup Rajgir, Bihar 2025 is what dreams are made of.#HockeyIndia #IndiaKaGame #HumSeHaiHockey #HeroAsiaCupRajgir pic.twitter.com/TDsbwRiPgB
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) September 3, 2025
It didn’t seem like that at first, when Sukhjeet Singh stole the ball from Seungwoo Lee near the half line and passed it to Hardik Singh. What looked like a simple pass turned into something spectacular. The centre-half, with sharp peripheral vision, revels in creating chances for the forwards and barely attacks the goal directly. Before Wednesday night, he had scored just 11 times in the 160 matches he’s played since 2018.
Few expected Hardik to go for the goal, including the Koreans who were split on whether to stop his run or close his passing angles; the latter being his forte. The more he continued his solo run, though, the more Hardik grew in confidence. He never had to indulge in an exaggerated dodge, just once or twice, he feigned a pass to throw off the defenders, who parted ways for him. When he entered the D, Hardik didn’t use any force. He simply tapped the ball past the goalkeeper. The uncomplicatedness of his run and shot was what made it special.
A goal — a rare field goal for India, that too — in the eighth minute raised hopes that Hardik would lead a procession. But India would soon revert to type.
Reverting to type
Earlier this year, the team’s European leg of the Pro League was marked by a spate of individual errors that resulted in the team losing seven out of the eight matches. It was more of the same against South Korea.
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In the 12th minute, Jugraj Singh was found guilty of intentionally pushing Seyong Oh in front of the Indian goal. The Koreans were awarded a penalty stroke, which Jihun Yang converted without much fuss. At that moment, South Korea were a transformed team. If, before the start, the crowd had to sit under a lightning night sky of Rajgir, the players on the field were now facing the lightning-fast Koreans.
The defending champions played like one, and surprised India with the speed on their counterattacks. Two minutes after equalising, India conceded a penalty corner after Mandeep Singh — who was tracking back in an attempt to help his defence — deliberately put the ball out of play. Amit Rohidas was uncharacteristically slow to rush towards Sunghyun Baek and close him down, and the drag-flicker pushed the ball between the Indian defender’s legs and beat goalkeeper Krishan Pathak’s outstretched left leg.
⚔ 𝗦𝗨𝗣𝗘𝗥 𝟰𝘀 𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗛 ⚔
India show warrior spirit to pull off a late draw against Korea! Catch the full highlights from the Hero Asia Cup Rajgir, Bihar 2025. 🏑#HockeyIndia #IndiaKaGame #HumSeHaiHockey #HeroAsiaCupRajgir pic.twitter.com/PcXpSDzty7
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) September 3, 2025
The stands, which were dancing to some of the famous Bhojpuri numbers just minutes ago, were hushed.
Captain Harmanpreet Singh later said the team wasn’t ‘shocked’ by the reversal but they were forced to do things differently. It started with Harmanpreet himself, who began pushing higher up the field than he usually would — so far up that he even tried to score a field goal but he didn’t hit the ball cleanly and the goalkeeper made an easy save.
Even as the mistakes cost India two goals, the forwards did little to enhance their impression. Fulton took heart in the fact that the team continued creating chances against a side that had all men in their own half. But there was growing frustration among the players at their inability to beat the goalkeeper.
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Manpreet Singh slapped the ball inside the ‘D’ from the right flank. He found an unmarked Sukhjeet Singh near the penalty spot. The forward was one-on-one with the goalkeeper, who was off his line, but he lacked composure and his reverse hit missed the target completely. Sukhjeet fell on his knees in frustration.
Minutes later, Abhishek got a pass inside the shooting circle. He seemed to have enough time and space to take a shot, but the forward — one of the more reliable goalscorers — didn’t connect well and the ball wobbled past the right post. Abhishek smashed his stick on the turf and winced.
Abhishek had another chance in the final quarter. But he tried to turn a defender before taking a shot, thus losing precious seconds and allowing a defender to close him down. Raj Kumar Pal then played a pass across the face of the goal, but there was no Indian there to finish.
Just when it looked like India would not find the equaliser, Harmanpreet played a diagonal pass inside the D. It rolled past a crowded circle towards Mandeep at the far post. The forward controlled the ball with the first touch and then tapped it past the goalkeeper to level the scores. India pushed forward in their hunt for the winner but it never came. And just like that, a tournament that many thought would be a foregone conclusion with India triumphing, was suddenly thrown open.
