India's men's hockey team will want to add a fourth trophy to their cabinet when it comes to the Asian Champions Trophy, which will begin on August 3 in Chennai. India are three-time champions and the highest-ranked team in the competition. the country will also be hosting the event for the first time.
The tournament has been a mixed bag for the side since its inception.
India won the title in the first edition in 2011, and two years later they came back empty-handed without a medal. The 2021 edition turned out to be an underwhelming one despite finishing third, as it happened right after their Olympic medal triumph.
India will also be aiming to remove the bad taste left by the last time they hosted a big tournament in the form of the World Cup this year. The disastrous campaign saw Graham Reid step down from his role as head coach.
Craig Fulton took over and the results have been encouraging. They have had some great performances against higher-ranked teams and will be coming into the ACT 2023 on the back of their European tour.
And the coach does have an exciting team to pick from as he keeps an eye out also for the right combinations heading into the Asian Games. PR Sreejesh will be expected to be in goal with captain Harmanpreet Singh, Varun Kumar and Amit Rohidas not only defending the lines but also being important to the side due to their drag-flicking skills.
The midfield is a youthful one with vice-captain Hardik Singh being the main man. However, they will have the veteran, Manpreet Singh, mentoring them with his incredible work rate.
The forwards have goals in them with a special eye being cast on young S Karthi, the Tamil Nadu youngster who will be playing in front of his home crowd.
India's squad for ACT 2023
Goalkeepers
PR Sreejesh, Krishan Bahadur Pathak
Defenders
Jarmanpreet Singh, Sumit, Jugraj Singh, Harmanpreet Singh (C), Varun Kumar, Amit Rohidas
Midfielders
Hardik Singh (VC), Vivek Sagar Prasad, Manpreet Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Shamsher Singh
Forwards
Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Gurjant Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, S Karthi.
India's schedule for ACT 2023
The schedule will truly be a test of the side's credentials as they start their campaign with the fixture against China on August 3. This will be followed by a trick outing against Japan on August 4 and then facing off against Malaysia two days later.
On August 7, India will take on Korea and, after a rest day, they will lock horns with their arch-rivals Pakistan in their final pool game.
Captain Harmanpreet stressed the importance of ACT 2023, seeing it as an opportunity to play some quality matches before the Asian Games.
"The next two months are very important for us. At the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Chennai 2023, we have this opportunity of playing quality matches before the Hangzhou Asian Games. It will be a good experience for the players. We have to make sure that we execute our strategies that we have worked on and I am sure that the tournament will be helpful for the players," the Captain added.
Going in as the favourites, India will be expecting to not just fulfil the expectations but also set the pace for a podium finish during the Asian Games.
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