Ace drag flicker and Captain Harmanpreet Singh on Tuesday admitted that Hangzhou Asian Games are very crucial because there the Indian hockey team will be competing for direct qualification of the Paris Olympic Games 2024.

“Winning the Asian Games title will give the team direct entry to the Paris Olympics and we are working on that” the captain said

Harmanpreet and his deputy Hardik Singh underlined the importance of Hero Asian Champions Trophy to be held in Chennai from 3rd to 12th August saying that it will provide the team good platform to test its preparedness ahead of the Asian Games and also work on the gray areas.

In the latest episode of Hockey Te Charcha, a podcast series launched by Hockey India, Harmanpreet Singh and Hardik Singh stressed the significance of special camps conducted by Goalkeeping Coach Dennis van de Pol from the Netherlands, as well as the appointment of mental health conditioning coach Paddy Upton, ahead of crucial tournaments.
“It is really important. When you get to learn from someone who has tons of experience, it makes a huge difference. We have had good sessions in Bengaluru with Paddy and Dennis. These have helped us a lot as a team.”

“The next two months are very important for us. At the Hero Asian Champions Trophy , we have this opportunity of playing quality matches before the Hangzhou Asian Games. It will be a good experience for the players. We have to make sure that we execute our strategies that we have worked on and I am sure that the tournament will be helpful for the players,” the Captain said.

Incidentally, Chennai is a very special venue for Harmanpreet as he was spotted by the then High-Performance Director of Hockey India Roelant Oltmans during the Junior National Championships. “I remember when the junior squad was to be announced in 2015, I was in Chennai playing the nationals, which we won. At that point of time, Roelant Oltmans was there to see the matches and we were playing the final against Haryana. After that, I got called up for the national camp and then made my senior debut in the same year. The place holds a special place in my heart. I am very excited to go back there and play.”

Meanwhile, Hardik Singh expressed his views about international matches returning to Chennai after 16 long years. The last time Chennai hosted an international hockey event was in 2007, when the India lifted the Asia Cup after defeating South Korea 7-2. He said, “It is really special for everyone that the Hero Asian Champions Trophy is being held in Chennai.

The way the crowd supported us in Rourkela and Bhubaneswar, we hope that the fans come in huge numbers, fill the stadium and support us. I am looking forward to playing in Chennai.”

Hardik Singh made his debut at the 2018 Asian Champions Trophy which was held in Muscat. India and Pakistan were declared joint winners by virtue of forfeiture of the final due to persistent rain. Recalling his experience, he said, “It was a new experience for me as it was the first important tournament for me and I was making my debut. But I was under no pressure and I knew that I have to give my best for the team.”

The ace midfielder, who earned his 100th International Caps for India in their match against England in the 100th Anniversary Spanish Hockey Federation – International Tournament being played in Barcelona, Spain. Talking about his journey, he said, “It is a blessing that I have represented the country. I feel honoured that I have been given this opportunity.”

He hailed the team’s show at the recent tour to Spain and said, “We performed well in Spain, especially in the last couple of games which included the 2-1 win against the Netherlands.”

About Champions Trophy he said “I think we need to control the tempo of the game and we need to be switched on from the word go so that we can begin a game on the positive note.” I hold the belief that each team participating in the competition presents a formidable challenge, being of good quality. Consequently, our approach shall be to prepare diligently for every encounter, offering nothing less than our utmost efforts,”

Harmanpreet, who has known Hardik for the longest of time, spoke about his camaraderie with Hardik over the years. “I have been with him ever since he started his journey. He is an excellent player. The way he plays and carries the team is truly commendable. Whenever he is there on the field, it feels like there is someone who is giving his best every time and sacrificing his everything for the team. We all learn from him and going forward, I want more players like Hardik,” he added.
India is the most successful team in the history of the tournament alongside Pakistan as both teams have won the Asian Champions Trophy thrice each. Other teams taking part in the tournament are defending champion Korea, runners up Japan, China, and Malaysia

India will open their campaign against China on 3rd August. As per the tournament format, all six teams will each play five matches in the round-robin stage before the top four teams move into the semifinals.

About India’s preparations for the tournament and the team’s recent performance, Chief Coach Craig Fulton said, “I think we did really well in our recently concluded four-nation tournament in Spain. We faced some really good opponents in the past 10 days and performed well against them. We have started playing the way we like to play. Also, we made some tactical changes in our game in our recent games and now we will aim to implement those in the Asian Champions Trophy.” adding “We will use this tournament as a platform to prepare for the upcoming Asian Games,”