Following a customary pre-tournament photoshoot with all the skippers, Harmanpreet Singh walked back, put his right arm around predecessor Manpreet Singh’s shoulders and cracked a joke to the amusement of his teammates. Not far from them, two-time Olympic bronze medallist Sumit shared a laugh with fellow defender and first rusher Amit Rohidas.
Chief coach Craig Fulton was also in a light-hearted mood, having a conversation with his support staff as they walked back to the dugout at sunset following the Indian hockey team’s final practice session ahead of their Asia Cup Pool A opener against China on Friday. The team looked cheerful and relaxed but also confident, ready to deliver at the continental showpiece being held at the Bihar Sports University Hockey Stadium here.
It wasn’t long ago that the Indian team had to endure seven successive losses in the Pro League to finish a lowly eighth out of nine teams, just about managing to escape the ignominy of relegation.
First of all, that’s in the past. The team on Thursday looked like a much fresher unit. They had a break, took part in the national camp and toured Australia for a four-match friendly series to sharpen up ahead of the Asia Cup.
“Our preparation has been thorough. The camp in Perth gave us the right intensity, with tough training sessions and competitive matches that sharpened both our physical and tactical readiness. The group is training and playing with real purpose and we feel ready for the challenge ahead,” said Fulton.
{{/usCountry}}“Our preparation has been thorough. The camp in Perth gave us the right intensity, with tough training sessions and competitive matches that sharpened both our physical and tactical readiness. The group is training and playing with real purpose and we feel ready for the challenge ahead,” said Fulton.
{{/usCountry}}Secondly, even though the Harmanpreet-led side lost those games, they were competitive throughout their European tour against the best in the world, not going a single game without scoring, going down in six of the seven games by just a solitary goal.
“India was one of the most unlucky teams. They played pretty well barring the last minute goals where matches are very close. But let’s not forget that India have a gift — they play really well in tournaments of consequence,” says Belgium head coach Shane McLeod, who guided the Red Lions to gold at the 2018 World Cup and the 2021 Olympics.
The Asia Cup is a tournament of consequence. And significantly, there is a big difference in the quality of competition between the Pro League and Asia Cup. To say that India have dominated the continent of late would be an understatement.
An undefeated Indian team easily clinched the 2023 Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai. The Fulton-coached side then went on to win every game at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou to clinch gold and qualify for the 2024 Paris Games where they finished on the Olympic rostrum a second successive time. World No.7 India maintained status quo last year at the Asian Champions Trophy where they again came out on top without losing a single contest.
The three-time winners now wish to continue their run at the Asia Cup where they last won in 2017. Having qualified for the 2023 World Cup as hosts, India fielded a second string squad in the last edition in 2022 where they won bronze.
But this time, India don’t have the same luxury. They already missed a ticket to the 2026 World Cup via the Pro League but winning the Asia Cup is their best chance of reaching the Netherlands and Belgium next year without much fuss.
“Our expectation is very clear, to win the Asia Cup and secure qualification for the World Cup. That is our main goal. We know it will be a tough competition with quality opposition, but we believe in the work we’ve done and in the strength of this squad. If we play to our standards, stay consistent, and execute well, we can achieve what we set out to do,” added Fulton.
Three-time champions Pakistan have pulled out due to “security concerns”. Oman too withdrew but due to “financial reasons” as has been reliably learnt. They have been replaced with Bangladesh and Kazakhstan.
India have been pooled with China (August 29), Japan (August 31) and Kazakhstan (September 1). Pool B comprises Malaysia, five-time winners South Korea, Bangladesh and Chinese Taipei. The top two teams from both groups will qualify for the Super 4s. The top two in Super 4s will play the final on September 7.