Asian Games: Decoding Indian men's hockey squad and achievements
Hockey has been one of India's traditional sports and they have won great laurels at the Asian Games over the years. The Indian men's hockey team has won three gold medals (1966, 1998, 2014) along with nine silvers and three bronze medals. They had to settle for the bronze medal in the last 2018 Asian Games and will aim for the gold this time.
Why does this story matter?
The Men in Blue won the Asian Champions Trophy gold medal as they defeated Malaysia 4-3 in the final. Harmanpreet Singh-led team will be looking to win their first Asian Games gold medal since 2014. The Indian men's hockey team also bagged the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics and will look to continue that momentum into the continental showpiece.
A look at the Indian hockey team's record
As mentioned the Indian men's hockey team won three gold medals in 1966, 1998 and 2014. India's silver medals have come in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1990, 1994, and 2002. India have won the bronze in 1986, 2010, and 2018 respectively. Notably, Pakistan have won the most number of gold medals at Asian Games (8). South Korea (4) follow suit.
A look at India's pool
India are in pool A with arch-rivals Pakistan, Japan, Bangladesh, Singapore, and Uzbekistan. They will play every team once in a round-robin format with the top two teams in both pools will progress to the semi-finals. The much-awaited India-Pakistan clash will happen on September 30. India will start their campaign against Uzbekistan and Harmanpreet and his men will be looking to start positively.
Here are India's fixtures
India will start their campaign against Uzbekistan on September 24. They will play Singapore on September 26 followed by their match against Japan two days later. The Men in Blue will play Pakistan on September 30 followed by their clash against Bangladesh on October 2. The semi-finals are scheduled on October 4 while the finals and the third-place playoff are scheduled on October 6.
A look at the key players
Harmanpreet will be key for India, having netted 155 goals in 191 appearances he is the third-highest goal-scorer for India. He will be crucial from penalty corners. Forward Mandeep Singh has netted 102 goals in 218 matches. He will be leading the lines for the Men in Blue. Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh is India's most experienced custodian, having registered 301 appearances for the country.
Indian men's hockey team for the 2023 Asian Games
Goalkeepers: Krishan Bahadur Pathak, PR Sreejesh. Defenders: Varun Kumar, Amit Rohidas, Jarmanpreet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh (captain), Sanjay, Sumit. Midfielders: Nilakanta Sharma, Hardik Singh (vice-captain), Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Shamsher Singh. Forwards: Abhishek, Gurjant Singh, Mandeep Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay. Head coach: Craig Fulton.
