look news india
Bengaluru, September 19 (HS). The Indian men’s hockey team left for Hangzhou from Bengaluru airport on Tuesday to participate in the 19th Asian Games. The Indian team will start its campaign against Uzbekistan on 24 September.
India have been placed in Pool A along with Pakistan, Japan, Bangladesh, Singapore and Uzbekistan. Pool B includes Korea, Malaysia, China, Oman, Thailand and Indonesia.
The top two teams from each pool will qualify for the semi-finals. Charismatic defender Harmanpreet Singh has once again been tasked with leading the team, while Hardik will be his deputy.
Before leaving for Hangzhou, captain Harmanpreet Singh said, “The team has been preparing hard for the 19th Asian Games, and we have performed well in the recently concluded Asian Champions Trophy Chennai 2023, so the target is to achieve that level of performance.” Have to maintain. “We have some tough opponents in our pool, but we are confident in our preparation and are hopeful of finishing on the podium.”
Before leaving for the 19th Asian Games, vice captain Hardik Singh expressed optimism, saying, “We have had some tough practice sessions in the lead up to the tournament and everyone in the camp is working with focus towards the same goal . We are in the best mental and physical condition to travel to Hangzhou, and we are looking forward to tough competition in our group. Our aim is to continue the good performance we have seen in recent months and return from China with a medal.” ,
India will face Uzbekistan on September 24, followed by Singapore, Japan and Pakistan on September 26, 28 and 30 respectively. The Indian team will play its last group stage match against Bangladesh on October 2.
The team includes PR Sreejesh and Krishna Pathak as goalkeepers. Varun Kumar, Amit Rohidas, Jarmanpreet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh and Sanjay are the defenders selected for the Asian Games. The midfield will be commanded by Neelkanth Sharma, Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Sumit and Shamsher Singh, while the attack will be led by Abhishek, Gurjant Singh, Mandeep Singh, Sukhjit Singh and Lalit Kumar Upadhyay.
