Act hockey: India look to start fresh, eye title defence
The Indian men’s hockey team will look to press the restart button after a successful Olympics campaign and defend its Asian Champions Trophy title when it opens its campaign against hosts China here tomorrow. Last year, India won the title at home, making them the only team to bag four titles in the history of the tournament.
Back from a short break after the Paris Olympics, India skipper Harmanpreet Singh is keen on continuing their dominance in the continental championships.
“The Asian Champions Trophy last year gave us the right momentum going into the Asian Games and followed it up with the Olympic Games triumph of standing on the podium yet again. This time too, we want to begin the fresh Olympics cycle by winning this tournament,” Harmanpreet said.
“While we have 10 members from the Olympics side playing in this tournament, we have a few youngsters trying to make their impact in the team. In terms of our game, our attacking and penalty corners are our forte but we will be looking to play a structured defence, particularly against teams like Japan, Malaysia and Pakistan. This is an important tournament for us in terms of world ranking points and we are ready for the challenge,” he added.
After China, India will take on Japan on September 9, followed by games against last year’s runners-up Malaysia on September 11, Korea on September 12 and arch-rivals Pakistan on September 14. The semifinals and final are scheduled for September 16 and 17, respectively.
Young midfielder Vivek Sagar Prasad, who has been named as Harmanpreet’s deputy for this tournament, said this would give them a chance to see other teams’ progress ahead of the 2026 Asian Games. “This tournament is one of the most exciting ones in the Asian calendar. We will also get to see the progress the Asian teams are making in the new cycle as they will play with a fresh group of players keeping in mind the Asian Games in 2026,” said Vivek, who will replace Hardik Singh as vice-captain.
