The Indian men's hockey team finds itself in the same group as their long-time adversaries, Pakistan, in the upcoming Asian Games. The anticipated face-off between the two rivals is set for September 30. The women's team, on the other hand, will contest against the likes of South Korea and Malaysia in their group matches.
Situated in Group A, the Indian men's team will also compete against teams like Japan - the champions from the 2018 Asian Games, Bangladesh, Singapore, and Uzbekistan. Their opening game is against Uzbekistan on September 24. The women's team, also part of Group A, will face Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Malaysia. They kick off their campaign against Singapore on September 27.
Speaking about the group placement, Harmanpreet Singh, the current captain at the Asian Champions Trophy, remarked, "We are placed along with some strong teams in our pool, including Japan, who won the Gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. But we will treat all teams at par and will not be taking any competition lightly."
He added, "Our coaches have always instilled in us that we need to be prepared for all our rivals. We will study all our opponents for the Hangzhou Asian Games, re-watch all videos to learn about their strengths and weaknesses, and prepare our plans accordingly."
Group B in the men's category features South Korea, Malaysia, China, Oman, Thailand, and Indonesia. For the women, Group B includes teams from Japan, China, Thailand, Kazakhstan, and Indonesia.
The women's team, who clinched a silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, are eager for a top finish this time around. Team skipper Savita expressed, "Hangzhou Asian Games is an important event, especially with a chance to earn a direct Olympic qualification. All the players are unified by the common goal to perform their best at the Games."
All the hockey encounters are set to take place at the Gongshu Canal Sports Park Stadium in Hangzhou, China. The men's final is scheduled for October 6, followed by the women's title match on October 7.
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