NEW DELHI: Fully aware of the legacy he is chasing, Indian men's hockey team chief coach Craig Fulton is determined to break the 51-year-old medal jinx at the World Cup, and said the Harmanpreet Singh-led team is eyeing to "write its own piece of history" in the upcoming showpiece in The Netherlands and Belgium from August 15 to 30.
Eight-time Olympic gold medallist, India boasts of only three World Cup medals, the last of which - a gold - came way back in the 1975 edition in Kuala Lumpur.
"What's important is to get consistency in the tournament and bring that consistency into the Asian Games and we win the Asian Games as a priority as well," the 51-year-old South African, who guided India to their second consecutive bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, told PTI.
"Tournament hockey is about playing your best hockey when it counts, you got to peak at the right time, and have a really strong squad through all the lines…We have a good chance and we can beat any team on our day.
"I am fully aware about the legacy of Indian hockey and also the fact that it hasn't gone really well in the World Cup. We would love to change that; we would love to write our own piece of history in Indian hockey."
Placed in Pool D alongside Wales, England, and arch-rivals Pakistan, Fulton emphasised on the need to start well in the tournament.
"We have a tough group and we need to do good job against Wales in game 1 and really focus on building momentum and try to get to the end of the tournament where you play your best hockey."
India is currently ranked eighth in the world, and Fulton has already set his realistic goals from the World Cup and the Asian Games that follows within three weeks' time. The Asian Games holds greater significance for India as it is a qualifying event for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
"Now ranked 7th or 8th in the world, we have a 5 per cent chance of winning the World Cup through ranking. But does that stop us winning it? No. But that's what people will perceive as you are ranked 8th in the world. For me, ranking is important after the tournament, not before. Even though we are no 1 in Asia, it realistically doesn't guarantee we are winning if we don't do our basics right… everything needs to fire."
Fulton selected a mixed squad for the World Cup, clubbing experienced players with youngsters like defender Yashdeep Siwach and striker Aditya Arjun Lagale.
India will take on arch-foes Pakistan in their last league game on August 19, and Fulton has one advice for his wards - don't get overawed by the occasion. "There is a lot of history about India and Pakistan. It's a perfect rivalry for the right reasons but still we have to play the game and not get overawed by the occasion. It's important to pass this message across."