Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey, who was disappointed Monday by Harmanpreet Singh’s sudden drop in form, said it was a concern. However, the absence of penalty corner goals wasn’t the only reason the home team was forced to abandon the FIH Men’s World Cup here.

After the match was over, India lost to New Zealand in the penalty shootout.

Tirkey stated that any discussion regarding a change in coach or captain is premature because the World Cup is still ongoing and India is to play in the 9th-16th classification matches.

“Harmanpreet was performing well in the FIH pro league matches as well as in the five match series in Australia just before the World Cup. We were expecting a lot from him, but his sudden drop in form at the World Cup is concerning,” Tirkey, one the most respected penalty corner hitters of all time, stated.

“There are some new drag-flickers within the team. “Drag-flickers are an important part of modern hockey, and we will plan accordingly,” said Tirkey after a lengthy meeting on Monday.

“We had just won a bronze medal in the Olympics. Then we didn’t make it to the quarterfinals at the World Cup. It was very disappointing.

Harmanpreet was the most dominant of India’s 26 penalties corners during the four matches. The team scored only five goals from these penalty corners.

Harmanpreet converted only two computers.

Tirkey, who was a former captain of India and has played in 412 international matches, stated that “Ultimately, as we said earlier, if we score less goals from penalty corners, we will face problems.”

“The strength of the team was their ability to score from penalty corners. Harmanpreet was a high-profile player. We saw that his flicks weren’t converting into goals from the first match on. The team suffered a lot from not scoring from the PCs.”

Tirkey stated that India had given the cross-over match to New Zealand in a winning position.

“We had enough chances to win against New Zealand. We led 3-1, but we could have done more in the defense structure. Both our goalkeepers performed well in the shootout and provided us with opportunities to win. We also missed the chance in the shootout and lost the match.

He said, “Kahi Na Kahi Jita Huwa Match Ko Humne Unko De Diya Hey (We have given the match to New Zealand in winning position),”

Harmanpreet could have won the match in sudden death for India, but he missed the opportunity.

“We played aggressive hockey, and we had chances (against New Zealand). Tirkey stated that we got 10 PCs, but only two of them scored. We could have scored more.

“Some players, from whom we had high expectations, couldn’t perform.” It was a fact that we all accepted.

Tirkey was a great defender of his generation and wasn’t happy with the performance by the home side’s defensive unit, Harmanpreet being the bulwark.

“If we talk about our defence, I feel that there was something missing from our defensive structure, we could’ve done better (against New Zealand).

“We felt the loss of Hardik Singh. He was playing very well, and our injury hurt. We could have won with the players that we have.”

Graham Reid, the head coach, stated on Sunday that the team needed a mental conditioning coach after their defeat against New Zealand. Tirkey assured them that Hockey India would do the right thing.

“Whatever the team requires, we are prepared to provide it. Hockey India provided everything the coach and team required,” he stated.

When Tirkey was asked if there would be any changes to the position of captain or coach, Tirkey replied, “We will find out later. There is no need to discuss the World Cup as it is currently taking place.

India will face Japan in the first class match at Rourkela on Jan 26, followed by a yet unnamed opponent on Jan 28.

Tirkey stated that the next priority for the team is to perform well at the Asian Games scheduled to take place this year.

He stated that the Asian Games are very important to us and is our priority prior to the Olympics next year.

“Some players have been injured and will not be returning to the team. Some players may not have performed well under pressure. We will provide a mental conditioning coach for the team and we will watch.”