Ahead of the men's Asia Cup in Bihar, Indian hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh expressed optimism that the team would start well and highlighted the need for both strong attacking and defensive play.
India had won the bronze medal in the previous edition held in Jakarta, where a young team with 15 debutants showed heart by finishing on the podium in 2022. This time, however, with World Cup qualification at stake, India has brought its best squad to Rajgir and will be looking to showcase its A-game.
Placed in Pool A alongside China, Japan, and Kazakhstan, India will kick off its campaign against China on Friday. India has won the Asia Cup title three times and finished as runner-up on five occasions.
The team heads into the tournament after a poor outing on their four-match tour of Australia, which they lost 1–3.
Speaking to reporters, Harmanpreet said, “Our preparation has been good because we were in camp for the last one and a half months, and we also had our tour as well. The preparation that has been done, we have focused a lot on what we had to work on. So we hope that whoever gets in the first match will perform well and start with good energy.”
Harmanpreet emphasized the importance of precision and skill on both sides of the field.
“I think both Ds are important in hockey. When you are attacking, you have to convert whatever chances you get, and when you are defending, you have to have a strong defence and structure,” he added.
Reflecting on the tour of Australia, Harmanpreet said that during the first two matches, the aim was to give everyone in the 24-player squad a chance.
“In the last two matches, we won one and lost one narrowly. So I think we achieved the target we went for,” he added.
Speaking about Pakistan and Oman missing out on the tournament, Harmanpreet highlighted how fans enjoy a clash with arch-rivals Pakistan and expressed hope of facing them again in the future.
“It is a good match, people enjoy it. We also like it, and the emotions of the whole country are connected. The match is exciting and tense. This time it is not happening for some reasons, but we will meet them sometime in the future,” he said.
Pakistan, traditionally one of the biggest names in Asian hockey, will not participate, paving the way for Bangladesh to make the cut. Oman also decided against participation, with Kazakhstan taking their place in the competition.
After Pakistan’s withdrawal, Hockey India president Dilip Kumar Tirkey clarified that Pakistan itself had opted out.
“Asia Cup is a very important tournament in Asian hockey. Pakistan is not coming to this tournament due to security reasons. India never refused them; they are refusing to come all by themselves due to security reasons. Oman has also withdrawn due to personal issues with their government,” Tirkey told ANI.
“Pakistan Hockey Federation itself refused to come due to security reasons. We do not have anything to say,” he added.
Meanwhile, former India hockey captain and Congress MLA Pargat Singh dismissed the security concerns, stating there was no such issue in India.
“There is no such issue in India. I don’t think there is any such problem in our country, but they have raised security concerns, indicating some fear in their minds. But there is nothing like that,” Singh said.
Urging for the matter to be seen purely from a sporting perspective, he added, “If we see this from a sports angle, they should come... Sometimes Pakistan behaves differently, but they are responsible for it themselves. It is not the responsibility of our government. We invited them, but they made this decision over security concerns. This is not good.”
The former India skipper also reflected on the decline of Pakistan hockey, once a powerhouse of the sport.
“Pakistan hockey was good once, but if there are internal disturbances, everything gets affected. So, Pakistan was affected too. How will they improve if they don’t play...” he remarked.
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