Defending champions India leave for Asia Cup hockey
The Hindu
The Indian team will be up against Japan, Pakistan and hosts Indonesia in Pool A
The Indian men's hockey team, led by Olympic bronze medallist Birendra Lakra, on Friday left for Jakarta to defend the Asia Cup title.
The Indian team will be up against Japan, Pakistan and hosts Indonesia in Pool A, while Malaysia, Korea, Oman and Bangladesh are grouped in Pool B.
India will kick off their campaign against Pakistan on Monday.
"The team is definitely excited. The Asia Cup is a very prestigious tournament and we will have quite a few players who will be experiencing this tournament for the first time so naturally the mood is quite upbeat in the team," Birendra said in a Hockey India release.
"Our camp in SAI Bengaluru was quite tough and very fruitful. While we got to know more about each player's strengths, and improved our on-field communication, Sardar (Coach) was also very particular about our fitness."
Reflecting his thoughts on his team's prospects this year, Lakra said, "We just want to take it one match at a time, definitely there will be a lot of tense nerves ahead of the first match against Pakistan but we will focus on our own game and get on from there."
Asian Games champion Avinash Sable opened his season in the 3000m steeple chase with a silver in the Portland Track Festival, a World Athletics Continental Tour bronze event, in Oregon on Saturday. He clocked 8:21.85s. Asian champion Parul Chaudhary took the bronze in the women’s 3000m steeple chase in a season-best 9:31.38s. Former Asian bronze medallist Sanjivani Jadhav struck gold in the women’s 10,000m in 32:22.77s, a time which was a second off her personal best, while Seema was sixth in 32:55.91s.