Gagan Ajit Singh at the Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi on Tuesday. (PTI)

New Delhi: Striker Gagan Ajit Singh believes Indian hockey team’s dismal performance in the Athens Olympics was primarily due to their ultra-defensive style of play.

The forward, who returned home from Greece along with his teammates and some members of the athletic contingent late Tuesday night, declined to comment on the much-criticised strategies of coach Gerhard Rach, but said whenever India play attacking game, they emerge winners.

“We did not play attacking hockey. We were a bit defensive. Whenever we have followed an attacking style, we have won,” he said, referring to India’s two wins in the competition.

India came from the death to beat South Africa 4-2 and then trounced Korea 5-2 to record their two wins from seven matches.

They eventually finished in the seventh spot matching their performane in the Sydney Games.

India’s German coach Rach had earlier come under flak from some members of the team including Dhanraj Pillay and Prabhjot Singh for his strategies.

But Gagan Ajit, while declining to comment on Rach’s gameplan, admitted that his strategies were different from that of Rajinder Singh.

Singh was removed from the chief coach’s post a fortnight before the Olympics.

“Whenever there is a change, the style will differ. But now he (Rach) is our coach. We better concentrate on our game and play for the country. The federation (IHF) is there to look after the coach,” he said.

Gagan admitted that the forwardline failed to live up to expectations, but he also blamed poor umpiring for India’s pathetic show.

“Several players were injured and we had some bad luck to boot. We played well in the beginning of the competition.

“We played pretty well against Holland and Australia. But the last-minute loss against the Australians affected the morale of the players a bit.

“We were also hampered by poor umpiring against New Zealand,” he said.

Other players, including Prabhjot Singh, who had accused Rach of under-utilising him in the tournament, declined to speak on the team’s performance citing a gag order from the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF).

“We can’t speak. We have been asked not to do so by the IHF,” Prabhjot said.

Rach and assistant coach Oliver Kurtz did not come to India since they left for Germany from Greece.

Assistant coach Jagbir Singh said, “various areas need to be addressed. It’s difficult to summarise what went wrong in Athens.” He did not comment on the strategies adopted by Rach during the Olympics.

All members of the team, including Dhanraj Pillay and captain Dilip Tirkey reached just before midnight from Athens via Dubai. They were accompanied by J.J. Shobha, Soma Biswas, Chitra Soman and Manjeet Kaur, among others.

Pillay, whose outburst against Gerhard Rach adorned headlines during the Games, gave a slip to the media.

Shobha, who braved excruciating pain to finish a creditable 11th in heptathlon, said she could have done better in her event but for the ligament tear near the left knee.

“My injury prevented me from giving an improved performance. But I hope to do better next time,” said the 26-year-old from Andhra Pradesh.

India won just one medal in the mega event through Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore who clinched a silver in double trap shooting.