This will probably be an excellent event for us to see the place we stand in opposition to the identical groups with whom we will probably be competing within the Asian Games, India’s Harmanpreet Singh mentioned. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
Indian males’s hockey group captain Harmanpreet Singh on Tuesday mentioned the upcoming Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai will probably be a “litmus test” for the aspect forward of the Asian Games to be held in September-October later this yr.
The seventh version of the Asian Champions Trophy is scheduled to be held from August 3 to 12, serving as a precursor to the Hangzhou Asian Games in September the place groups will vie for gold and qualify for the Paris Olympic Games.
“For many of us, it will be the first time that we will be playing in Chennai. I remember our seniors talking about the Asia Cup in 2007 held in Chennai which was a great tournament for India, defending the title in a successful campaign,” Singh mentioned in a launch.
“This will be an ideal tournament for us to see where we stand against the same teams with whom we will be competing in the Asian Games. It will be a litmus test for the team ahead of the Asian Games.
“It may also give us a good understanding of our opponents and we will additional put together properly for the Asian Games the place we purpose to win the gold medal and straight qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.”
India won the Asian Champions Trophy in the inaugural edition in 2011 and beat Pakistan in the final in 2016 to reclaim the title. In the following edition in 2018, India were joint winners with Pakistan after rain affected the proceedings in Muscat.
In the previous edition in 2021 held in Dhaka, the Indian team finished with a bronze medal.
with Korea and Malaysia showcasing good form in World Cup 2023 in Bhubaneswar-Rourkela, Harmanpreet said that the competition will be intense.
“Korea has proven nice progress over the past couple of years. They gained the Asia Cup in Jakarta final yr and in addition did very properly within the World Cup,” the ace dragflicker said.
“Malaysia too is a robust contender for the title they usually proceed to have among the best penalty-corner assaults. It will undoubtedly be a hard-fought event.”
