FIH Hockey World Cup 2026: Sardar Singh States India's Glory Hinges On -Collective Team Effort

Former India captain Sardar Singh believes the national men's hockey team has gained confidence at just the right time but success at next month's World Cup and the Asian Games after that will depend on consistent team effort instead of individual brilliance.

India head into the World Cup, beginning August 14, after an encouraging finish in the FIH Pro League, which was otherwise shaping up to be quite disappointing.

Craig Fulton's side recovered from a poor start to beat reigning world champions Germany and Olympic champions the Netherlands during the European leg before stretching England in closely-fought contests, prompting the coach to declare that India can beat any team if they stick to their game plan.

Sardar echoed that optimism while underlining the importance of squad depth, saying the Pro League had served its purpose by allowing the coaching staff to assess the entire core group before the season's biggest assignments.

"We have made a lot of improvements in terms of ranking and players. The men's team has performed very well in the latest matches of the Pro League," Sardar told reporters on the sidelines of the Oriental Cup football tournament's Finals.

"Before that, I think it was important for the coaches to give a chance to all the players of the core group. You need to see the potential of every player before the World Cup and Asian Games so that you can choose the best squad.

"Selection should be based on the performances of all the players," said the former India captain who played more than 300 international matches, featuring in three Olympics and three World Cups.

Sardar, who led the country to the 2014 Asian Games gold medal before retiring at the end of the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, attended the Thursday's event as chief guest.

The former midfield general said a strong start would be crucial in a major tournament but insisted consistency across the squad would ultimately determine whether India can challenge for the World Cup title.

"It depends on how you start in the tournament," he said.

"Hockey is all about energy. You have to perform at 80-90 per cent in every match. It's not like two players can win you a tournament. If you want to win a good tournament, all the players have to perform at 80-90 per cent."

Now coaching the India Under-18 men's team, Sardar said developing young talent remains central to ensuring sustained success at the highest level.

"We should focus more on the junior players. These kids will represent our country in the future," he said.

"Hockey India has started a programme with the Sports Authority of India. I want to pass this knowledge to these kids so that they don't make the same mistakes in the future. Small mistakes can cost you at tournaments like the World Cup, Olympics and Asian Games, which come only once every four years. My target is to work more on the basics."

The Oriental Cup, meanwhile, continues to grow as a grassroots football initiative. The fourth edition featured more than 45 school teams from across Delhi-NCR, with over 1,500 student-athletes competing in the boys' Under-17 and girls' Under-19 categories.

Tournament founder Fareed Bakshi said the long-term ambition is to expand the competition beyond Delhi and establish it among the country's leading school football events.

"In the next two to three years, I intend to have a pan-India presence for the Oriental Cup and take it to the level of the Subroto Cup," Bakshi said.