Asian Champions Trophy 2024: Indian team leaves for Asian Champions Trophy, big match with Pakistan on 14 September

The Indian men's hockey team left for Hulunbuir, China on Tuesday to compete in the Asian Champions Trophy. The bronze medalists of the Paris 2024 Olympics will try to defend their title. Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Japan, and China are also in the fray in the tournament. India start their campaign against hosts China on 8 September. After that, they will face Japan on 9th September, Malaysia on 11th, and Korea on 12th. India will also play arch-rival Pakistan in the final pool stage match on 14th September.

The top four teams reached the semi-finals on 16 September in the pool, and later on, the final match will be played among the winning teams on 17 September. Before leaving for China, Captain Harmanpreet Singh said, “We got a short break after the Paris Olympics. With a new energy and fresh mind, the team is ready to take on the best hockey-playing nations in Asia and prove its potential. Our performance in Paris was good. Our aim will be to play high-level hockey and maintain our momentum.”

Vice Captain Vivek Sagar Prasad said, “It is a great honor for me to be the vice-captain of the team at such a young age. However, in a way, we all are captains and vice captains in the team, and the responsibilities of the entire team are shared. This time there are some new players in the team, who have immense potential and who are eager to perform. We are eager to showcase our skills to defend our title. We will try our best to create a favorable environment for them.”