Switching positions key for India

BHUBANESWAR: For the last couple of years, Mandeep Singh has been an integral part of India’s forward-line on the right flank.

However, midway through the last game against Belgium with India trailing by a goal, the coach made changes to the playing position of players including bringing Mandeep to the left flank. The move paid dividends as there was complete turnaround in ball possession in the second half with India grabbing most of it.

“In the second half, I changed my position to left flank and it worked very well. If you analyse our game --- quarter-wise --- you will see, we had more ball possession in the last two quarters and in those quarters, our penetration into Belgium’s attacking area was more from the left side,” said Mandeep. “The equaliser and the move that got us penalty corner (converted into penalty stroke) were initiated from the left side. The coach decided on the change in between the match and it put Belgium in a fix and we dominated,” added Mandeep, who has 125 international caps and 58 goals to his credit.

So, is he planning to switch to left flank in the coming days?

“That depends on the coach, in which position he wants me to play and with which combination. We have a certain plan against each team and we work accordingly. But I am comfortable playing in both the flanks.”

Apart from Mandeep, there were other players whose positions were switched. For instance, midfielder Simranjeet Singh was first moved to the forward-line and then brought back to midfield during the tournament. “Best part of this team is that most of the players can play in multiple positions. Switching positions is not an issue,” said coach Harendra Singh.

Interestingly, India did not succumb to pressure after conceding an early goal and fought back. “It is a misconception that we succumb to pressure after conceding early goal. There were gaps that emerged in Belgium match. However, we have worked on them,” says Mandeep.