In the climactic scene of a big ensemble film, the characters from different storylines often converge at a symbolic place. For Indian hockey, that place is Jalandhar , home to almost half-a-dozen players from the current team.

As the Asian Champions Trophy brings international hockey back to Punjab for the first time since January 2009, the tournament comes with a subplot of its own: could the otherwise meaningless tournament be the swansong for some of the senior players in the Indian team?

Chief coach Craig Fulton isn’t commenting on that speculation. But his plans for the months ahead suggest that the composition of the team is up for review, with a younger group set to travel to New Zealand after the tournament, and a new training squad to be finalised ahead of the Pro League in February.

The timing is significant.…