India's head coach, Craig Fulton, said the preparations of the side have been solid for the marquee event. The upcoming Hockey Asia Cup is set to kick off on August 29. In the previous edition of the continental event in Jakarta in 2022, the Indian side finished in third place, behind champions South Korea and Malaysia
Craig Fulton (Pic: File Pic)
The Indian men's hockey team are confident of clinching the Asia Cup title after a long wait of eight years. If the side manages to win the title, they will then eventually seal a place in the next year's World Cup.
The upcoming Hockey Asia Cup is set to kick off on August 29, 2025.
India's head coach, Craig Fulton, said the preparations of the side have been solid for the marquee event.
"The team's preparation has been solid for this tournament. Our approach will be similar to that of Paris Olympics where we began with good wins in the pool stage," said Fulton.
Further speaking, he said that despite having the confidence of winning the title, the side is not going to take any team on a light basis.
"We want to start well here, take it game-by-game, build on our momentum and we are cognisant that it's been eight years since India last won the title (in 2017, Dhaka). While we are confident of winning, we don't want to take any team lightly," said the 50-year-old.
The last time the Indian men's hockey team won the Asia Cup title was in 2017 at Dhaka. They defeated Malaysia by 2-1 in the title clash.
In the previous edition of the continental event in Jakarta in 2022, the Indian side finished in third place, staying behind champions South Korea and Malaysia.
With World Cup qualification at stake, India has fielded a strong squad under the leadership of Harmanpreet Singh.
The World Cup next year will be co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands from August 14 to 30. This will also be the first time that the Indian men's hockey team will play in Rajgir, Bihar.
"We are very happy to arrive in Bihar for this prestigious tournament. It is great that international hockey is being hosted here and we want to inspire the people of this region with our game, and create more fans for the sport," added the head coach.
Team India skipper Harmanpreet Singh said that the country hosting its second international hockey event shows the Indian government's support for the national sport.
"We have never played in Bihar and it's exciting to see that Rajgir is already hosting it's second international hockey tournament within a span of one year. This shows the government's intent to support the game and we are looking forward to the love and support of hockey fans here throughout the tournament."
India is placed in Pool A along with Japan, China and Kazakhstan, whereas Pool B features Malaysia, Korea, Bangladesh and Chinese Taipei.
(With PTI Inputs)
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