The 11th season of the Men’s Hockey Asia Cup begins today (Monday) in Jakarta, Indonesia, with Pakistan taking on arch-rivals India in a group A encounter.
During today’s action-packed day, Oman and Malaysia will face off, and Korea will take on Bangladesh in the Pool B matchups following their Asian Games Qualifier victories in Thailand. In addition, the reigning winners of the Asian Games, Japan, will take vs Indonesia.
Managing Director Khawaja Junaid has stated that Pakistan’s hockey squad will aim to reach the World Cup.
“No team can put any pressure on us. Neither the standing of other teams nor their prior international hockey experience will influence our players’ performance, he insisted.
“Our guys will go all out against India and Japan and do their highest level efforts to surprise them and secure a World Cup berth,” he said.
Birendra Lakra and SV Sunil have been appointed as India’s captain and vice-captain respectively. Simranjeet Singh, a star performer at the Olympics in Tokyo, is making a comeback after a long injury layoff. In his role as team coach, Sardar Singh, a two-time Olympian and previous captain, will lead the team.
Both Lakra and Sunil emphasised the importance of mentoring the young players ahead of their team’s first match against Pakistan. “There is always a sense of urgency” (against Pakistan). Sunil added that any match versus Pakistan is usually high-octane. Because of the added pressure junior players will feel as seniors, we cannot get too pumped up. As a result, “we need to treat it like every other match,” he said.
Sunil stated, “No team should be taken for granted. In order to retain our title and gain a berth in next year’s World Cup, we must perform to the best of our abilities.
“Both teams are young,” Lakra stated. To us, going match by match is essential. If you put in a solid effort, you’ll get what you deserve. “Our confidence will rise if we perform well.”
The PHF website will stream the game live.
The last time India and Pakistan met was in the Asian Champions Trophy in 2021, where India came out on top 4-3 to take home the bronze medal as a result.
India, the third-ranked team in the world, will face Pakistan in the final match of the first day’s schedule, which will take place in Pool A. Among the eight-team competition are Malaysia, South Korea, Oman, and Bangladesh in Pool B.
After being postponed last year because to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Asia Cup is finally taking place after a two-year hiatus. Asian Cup winners will qualify for the FIH Hockey World Cup, which will be held in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela, India, following year. As the tournament’s hosts, India has already qualified for the tournament.
