India’s men’s and women’s hockey teams begin their Asian Games campaigns on Sunday, with the men seeking redemption after a disappointing World Cup and the women carrying confidence from their fifth-place finish. Both teams need gold medals to secure direct Olympic berths
Kakamigahara (Japan): The Indian men’s hockey team will aim to recover from a recent slump, while the women will look to build on the significant gains made in the recent World Cup when they begin their Asian Games campaign here on Sunday.
There is plenty at stake for both the Indian teams, as a gold medal in the Asian Games will secure direct tickets to the Los Angeles Olympics.
Four-time champions India will have to lift their morale after finishing a lowly eighth in the recent FIH World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Reigning two-time Olympic bronze medallists India are placed in Pool A alongside hosts Japan, Korea, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Indonesia, while Pool B consists of Pakistan, Malaysia, China, Oman, Uzbekistan and Thailand.
India will open their campaign against Indonesia, a match they are expected to win comfortably.
Being the highest-ranked team in the competition at eighth, the Indian men are overwhelming favourites for the gold, but to achieve that they will have to iron out the flaws that put paid to their World Cup hopes.
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Since 2016, India have not lost to Pakistan in any competition, winning 14 of their last 16 meetings, including a 10-2 rout at the Hangzhou Asian Games and a 5-3 victory over their old rivals at this year’s World Cup. The record against Japan, with 86 wins from 97 meetings, and Malaysia, with 89 from 127, also tells a story of historical dominance.
But it will not be easy, as chief coach Craig Fulton’s team’s real tests will come against Japan and Korea in the pool stages.
The Harmanpreet Singh-led side will look to draw on its experience from recent international outings, with an eye on making a fresh start in Japan.
Coach Fulton has already emphasised the importance of converting the lessons learnt from the World Cup into action rather than dwelling on the result.
“These (World Cup outings) are lessons, and the only way to treat them as lessons learned is to turn that learning into action. That’s what we’ve got to do now. We’ve discussed everything, gone through everything and highlighted areas needing improvement. At the same time, it’s now about action,” said Fulton.
For some of the Indian players, such as veteran Manpreet Singh, skipper Harmanpreet, defender Amit Rohidas and striker Mandeep Singh, it is likely to be their last Asian Games, and they would be desperate to finish with another gold medal around their necks.
After Indonesia, the Indian men will face Sri Lanka on September 22, South Korea on September 24, Japan on September 26 and Bangladesh on September 28.
China biggest threat for upbeat Indian women
The Indian women, on the other hand, will be brimming with confidence after producing their best World Cup finish in 52 years by securing fifth place.
The women’s team has also undergone a period of renewed development under chief coach Sjoerd Marijne, who returned to the helm earlier this year.
The Indian women are placed in Pool B alongside Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and Singapore and will open their campaign against the Uzbeks, a contest they should win comfortably.
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But China remains India’s biggest threat in the competition. Paris Olympics silver medallists China, ranked fourth in the world, are clear favourites in the competition and are the highest-ranked side above world No. 8 India.
The Indian women can, however, take heart from their recent performance against China in the World Cup, where they held the Chinese to a 2-2 draw, largely due to a structurally solid defence.
Against the rest of the continental sides, the Indian women have an edge, having been unbeaten against South Korea in four straight meetings and having beaten Japan in recent encounters, including a 2-1 bronze-medal win at the last Asian Games.
Led by captain Salima Tete, the Indian women will be aiming to improve upon their bronze-medal finish at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games and challenge for only their second Asian Games gold medal. The Indian women won the Asian Games gold only once, in 1982.
Women’s team chief coach Marijne has been keen to ensure that the players acknowledge what they achieved at the World Cup before immediately turning their attention to the next challenge.
“We did something remarkable and historical, but we have to move on to the next tournament… You have to close a chapter before you move to the next one,” said Marijne ahead of their opener on Sunday.
After Uzbekistan, the Indian women will play Indonesia on September 21, Thailand on September 23, Japan on September 25 and Singapore on September 27.
