Sanjay stars as India blitz South Korea to lift Asia Cup, book World Cup ticket

All it took was 30 seconds. On Saturday, after India beat China, head coach Craig Fulton had spoken about starting well and how a good first quarter would be critical to their performance in the final of the Asia Cup. On Sunday, within the first few seconds, India won the ball and went on the attack. Harmanpreet Singh dribbled for a length, passed the ball to Sukhjeet Singh inside the circle on the left, and the Indian forward came up with a fierce reverse hit. Bottom right corner. Goal.

Game, set, trophy.

There was no logical reasoning to think the one hour match was done 30 seconds in, but it was. That feeling you get in the gut trumps all reasoning. You see, if South Korea had any chance to upset India, they had had to start better, frustrate India with their deep defending and hopefully score from limited chances on the counter. That plan was now out the proverbial window.

Editor's Picks

• 

  India win fourth Asia Cup Hockey title; qualify for 2026 World Cup

  7hAaditya Narayan

• 

  India enter Asia Cup final as Fulton's patience pays off with Dilpreet's masterclass against China

  1dAnish Anand

• 

  India 7-0 China: Fulton's side put on attacking clinic en-route Asia Cup final

  1dSunaadh Sagar

And in the end, they couldn't come up with plan B. India lifted the Asia Cup trophy for the fourth time in their history, beating Korea 4-1, the one coming after the other four had all gone in. Apart from Sukhjeet, Dilpreet Singh scored twice, and Amit Rohidas converted a penalty corner. With that, India have also now qualified for the FIH World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium.

The final itself was all about the underrated brilliance of one of India's key defenders. While the first goal was quality -- Harmanpreet's playmaking coming to the fore -- the second goal saw something special from Sanjay. The fullback picked an aerial pass from captain Harmanpreet, dodged his defender with sublime stick skill and passed it to Dilpreet who converted from a close range. Whatever little remaining scope there was of a South Korea comeback, it was done and dusted in that 28th minute. Sanjay had made sure of it.

He was, through the match, outstanding going forward, reading the play to perfection. In his day job, meanwhile, he barely got his tackles wrong and shadowed the man he was marking expertly. It's the small stuff which doesn't often get noticed but needs to be spoken and written about.

Too often, Sanjay has gone under the radar. During India's 7-0 win over China on Saturday, for instance, there was a moment when he was left frustrated when he didn't get the ball after he had made a run into the circle. The roar he had let out then had been an indication of how much he wanted to take on extra responsibility. In the final, it was evident once again: his attacking and defensive positional awareness, remarkable.

Earlier this year during the Hockey India League, Graham Reid, the former India head coach had namechecked Sanjay to illustrate how the team had improved since he left. "When he played in the Junior World Cup under me, he was very loose with his marking, bit casual, not much effort. And what you see now is a really polished performer -- he marks tighter and has become a good player," Reid said.

India coach Fulton, of course, puts a great deal of emphasis on a strong defence... it's when that part of the team falters that the team usually stumbles, as we saw in the FIH Pro League. So, Sanjay has learned to ensure his natural inclination to attack recklessly is curbed with more tactical judgement. "I love attacking hockey but as a defender my first job is to do well in the defence. When the opportunity comes to attack, I try to go forwards to help the team," he said after the final.

It's for this reason that Sanjay defines the Craig Fulton era. You can see the visible improvement he's made with his defensive game, the amount of work he's put in and how that's reflected in him being one of the first names on the team sheet. He's a crucial cog in the Fulton machine, an Olympic bronze medallist, and now an Asia Cup winner.

After months of preparation in Bengaluru and Australia and playing through the heat and humidity of Rajgir, Sanjay and the rest of the Indian team will now enjoy a break. The next phase of the journey will include the all-important World Cup and Asian Games next year. One thing is certain, though. Asian champ Sanjay will be right there, bombing up and down the flanks, working on his game and with it, taking India's to the next level.