Harpal Singh Bedi / New Delhi
Indian Hockey Team captain Harmanpreet Singh on Tuesday promised a better showing by his team at the Hangzhou Asiad saying the “aim is to win a medal”
“Our focus is to get direct qualification for the Paris Olympics and for that we will give our best to top the podium “he said
India will open their campaign in the Asiad on 24th September against Uzbekistan.
India are placed in Pool A, alongside Pakistan, Japan, Bangladesh, Singapore, and Uzbekistan. Pool B consists of Korea, Malaysia, China, Oman, Thailand, and Indonesia.
The top two teams from each Pool will qualify for the Semi-Finals
“The team has been rigorously preparing for the Asian Games and we performed well at the recently concluded Asian Champions Trophy Chennai, so the goal is to maintain that level of performance. ” the captain said
“We have some tough opponents in our Pool, but we are confident in our preparation and hope to finish on the podium,” He added.
The team includes goalkeepers PR Sreejesh and Krishan Pathak. Varun Kumar, Amit Rohidas, Jarmanpreet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, and Sanjay are the defenders selected for the Asian Games.
The midfield will be anchored by Nilakanta Sharma, Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Sumit, and Shamsher Singh, while the attack will be led by Abhishek, Gurjant Singh, Mandeep Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, and Lalit Kumar Upadhyay.
Before leaving for Hangzhou Vice Captain Hardik Singh expressed optimism, saying, “We have had some tough practice sessions in the lead-up to the Tournament and everyone in camp is focused, working towards the same goal.”
“We are in the best possible mental and physical shape to travel to Hangzhou, and we are looking forward to the tough competition in our group. “The goal is to continue performing as well as we have in recent months and return from China with a medal,” he added
India will face Uzbekistan on 24th September before taking on Singapore, Japan and Pakistan on 26th, 28th and 30th September respectively. They will play their last group stage match against Bangladesh on 2nd October.