The Indian team’s performance at the recent Rourkela leg of the FIH Pro League was shocking. It started with a 3-1 defeat against Belgium, in which they conceded twice in the final quarter, but spiralled into a four-match run of one-sided losses. As the goals stacked up, 19 conceded in four games, the crowd’s reactions went from disbelief to indifference, while chief coach Craig Fulton’s emotions went from frustration to resignation.This is not the first time India have had a poor run in the Pro League under the South African. They ended last season with seven losses in eight games to finish second-last, but those seven defeats on the trot were forgotten after their Asia Cup victory earned India a berth in the World Cup.The latest run of losses has come at the beginning of an important season, with the Asian Games and World Cup lined up in the second half of the year. With the team going through a transition, Fulton is trying out new players and different combinations. But even for an experimental team, the manner of the defeats is alarming.The 8-0 loss to Argentina was not only one of their heaviest in recent times, it was confidence shattering. The South American team with its relentlessness ripped to pieces India’s Olympics medallist aura.Even the senior players could not recover from that annihilation. They were never at their best to start with, but their game became more forced with uncharacteristic errors creeping in. There were instances of Harmanpreet Singh, who is known for his ball control, letting opponent players make steals from under his nose. Hardik Singh, who at his deceptive best can tiptoe past two-three defenders, was repeatedly blocked out while trying to barge his way through.Forwards Sukhjeet Singh and Abhishek, who have enviable stick-work and finishing instinct, fluffed simple dribbles and were not sharp enough in the circle. Then there were missed passes and missed traps from all the senior players, including Jarmanpreet Singh, Vivek Prasad, Mandeep Singh, Nilakanta Sharma and Amit Rohidas.These mistakes not only became the talking point but also overshadowed a more pertinent issue. With many players retiring or being phased out, Fulton has given chances to newcomers on-and-off over the last two years. That number has grown with time, and with a few key players suspended, or “rested” according to Hockey India, for the Rourkela leg, the matches saw a horde of greenhorns.Worryingly, for Fulton in the short term and Indian hockey in the long run, the performance of the newcomers was not up to the senior international standard. They made too many technical mistakes in receiving, passing and one-on-one defending.Tactically, they were all over the place. In attack, there was little off-the-ball running and creation of space, which meant passing options were limited. That led to unnecessary running with the ball. Possession was lost repeatedly and India ended up defending for long periods.But India’s defensive structure was so disorganised that they crumbled under constant pressure. There were issues with man-marking and zonal defending. When pressing high, they lacked the intensity to create counterattacking opportunities.India had very few meaningful forays into the attacking third, making just 48 circle penetrations and earning only nine penalty corners in four games. In comparison, Belgium made 54 circle entries and earned 14 penalty corners in their two matches against India.It led to frustration among the senior players, who then tried to singlehandedly prop the team up but ended up making mistakes themselves. But these are proven performers who will no doubt return to their best as the season progresses.A bigger headache for Fulton would be the gap between the newcomers and the established players in the team, and not having enough time to try to narrow it before the big tournaments arrive. From the perspective of Indian hockey, this divide points towards the difference in the level of training and the style of play between the India team set-up and the rest of the country.