Chennai: Indian Men's Hockey team arrived at Chennai Airport on Tuesday ahead of Asian Men's Hockey Champions Trophy 2023 which will begin on Thursday. Men's Hockey team chief Coach Craig Fulton arrived at the Chennai airport where he said that his team will try to do well in the tournament and they are excited to play at home.
"Everyone wants the team to do well. So we want to win things. There are a lot of expectations from the team, so we need a bit of patience there. But at the same time, we have a good opportunity now to play well this week," Craig Fulton said.
"It's always awesome to play a home tournament. I mean, it's good to play in Spain first and then come here. The time between the two tournaments isn't ideal. It's basically three days but a lot of preparation has gone into it. Everyone's excited about it. We're really happy to be here to play, and we look forward to the first game," he further added.
Hockey India on July 25 announced the 18-member men's hockey team that will compete in the Asian Champions Trophy Chennai 2023. India will face Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Japan, and China during the Pool stage of the tournament. The Asian Champions Trophy Chennai 2023 will also serve as a preparation event for the crucial Hangzhou Asian Games 2023.
The team will continue to be led by ace drag-flicker and defender Harmanpreet Singh and Vice Captained by the prolific midfielder Hardik Singh.PR Sreejesh and Krishan Bahadur Pathak have been named as the team's designated goalkeepers, while Jarmanpreet Singh, Sumit, Jugraj Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Varun Kumar, and Amit Rohidas have been named as defenders.
Meanwhile, the midfield will be led by Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Shamsher Singh, and Nilakanta Sharma. Furthermore, Manpreet Singh will return to the midfield after previously being listed as a defender during the European leg of the Pro League.
Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Gurjant Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, and S Karthi comprised the forward line. These forwards are capable of scoring crucial goals, creating scoring chances, and applying relentless pressure on the opposing defence. (ANI)
