By Vivek Prabhakar Singh
Rajgir (Bihar) [India], August 28 : Ahead of his team's Asia Cup clash against China, Indian men's hockey coach Craig Fulton expressed hope that the hosts would be able to "keep the pressure on" throughout the tournament and added how his team has been preparing and adjusting to weather at home following a tour of Australia.
India will kickstart its Asia Cup hockey campaign against China on August 29. The final will be played on September 7. The Men in Blue are a prolific presence in the tournament, having won it thrice in 2003, 2007 and 2017 and finishing as runners-up five times. They are featured in Pool A alongside Japan, China and Kazakhstan.
Team India had a disappointing end to their FIH Pro League campaign this year in June, finishing in eighth spot out of nine teams, winning just six out of 16 matches and losing seven matches in a row, ultimately finishing with 10 losses. During this terrible run, they let their opponents score 23 goals and could score just 14 goals.
Following this, some training took place, and in August, India embarked on a four-match tour to Australia, which they lost 1-3.
Speaking to ANI, Fulton said, "We have been here since Monday. The preparation has been good. It has been nice and warm. We are getting used to the heat here. The facilities are really good. We had a training session today. We are set for the match one (against China on Friday).
"We go one game at a time. Each game is three points, and we try to get as many points as possible to reach the top of the group. Hopefully, we can keep the pressure on," he added.
The tournament, a quadrennial event that began in 1982, also serves as a qualification event for the 2026 FIH Men's Hockey World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the Netherlands and Belgium.
The winners of the Asia Cup will earn a direct berth to the World Cup, while the teams finishing from second to sixth will advance to the FIH World Cup Qualifiers, scheduled to be held in February-March 2026.
Harmanpreet will captain an 18-member Indian men's hockey team in Rajgir. The experienced squad features stalwarts such as Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Mandeep Singh, and Amit Rohidas.
A total of eight teams will contest for the title and have been divided into two groups of four. After single-headed round-robin matches, the top two from each pool will qualify for the Super 4s, with the top two from that stage contesting the final on September 7.
Pool A: India, Japan, China, Kazakhstan
Pool B: South Korea, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Chinese Taipei.