Asia Cup Champions shift focus to World Cup next

India lifted their fourth Hockey Asia Cup title defeating Korea 4-2 in the final in Rajgir on Sunday. The victory secured Harmanpreet Singh's team a direct qualification for next year’s FIH Hockey World Cup to be held in Belgium and the Netherlands.

India attacked right from the start, as Sukhjeet Singh electrified the crowd with a goal in the opening minute.

Speaking to The Bridge, goalscorer Sukhjeet said, “Today we did very good goal scoring. We took advantage of the opportunities that we were getting and therefore, our lead was good from the beginning and so we won.”

Korea struggled in attack, but their defense held strong for a while. Jugraj missed a penalty stroke, but India didn’t lose momentum. Dilpreet Singh doubled the lead just before halftime.

Dominant India owns first 3 quarters

Captain Harmanpreet sent a stunning aerial ball. Sanjay Rana collected it cleanly and passed it to Dilpreet, who fired it into the net.

Defender Sanjay said, “It feels great that we have qualified for the World Cup. The team’s performance was very good, so I am happy. We made some mistakes, we will correct them.”

Korea failed to convert one of their rare penalty corners in the 41st minute. India’s defense stood rock solid.

India struck again through Dilpreet, who scored from a neat setup by Rajkumar Pal. Amit Rohidas added another goal, and with that Korea’s hopes faded. Son Dain scored for Korea soon after, but it was too little, too late.

Reflecting on India’s win Sukhjeet said, “We made a lot of mistakes in the Super 4s match. So our mindset was that we should do well in the finals. Now, the World Cup is our next target.”

World Cup: The big target

For India, this victory means they can skip the qualifying rounds for the World Cup. Coach Craig Fulton was all praise for the team. “This win gives us a nice comfort. We do not have to worry about much with any qualifiers. I am super proud of the boys.”

Abhishek, who won the Hero of the Tournament award, dedicated the victory to the nation. “This win is for the whole country, and the country should support the entire team in the World Cup as well,” he said after the match.

Abhishek also praised the squad’s unity: “The bonding of the team on and off the field is very good. Everyone lives like a family.”

India had fought hard for a draw against Korea just four days earlier. In the final, they turned those lessons into their dominant performance.

Sumit said the team played like a unit and rectified the mistakes in the final. “Today we played like a team. We corrected the mistakes that were made in the last game. So it feels very good.”

“Next year there is a World Cup, so now we will prepare for it and do well in it. Now, when the camp starts, we will learn from the mistakes we made here,” he concluded.

Players hail the Rajgir crowd

All matches at the tournament witnessed a strong turnout, with the India games in particular drawing packed stands and an electrifying atmosphere. The Rajgir crowd brought remarkable energy and passion.

The players were overwhelmed with the crowd support and even praised the smooth organisation of the tournament in Rajgir.

“The crowd cheered a lot. With their support, we played very well. We got a lot of love and support. I would like to thank the crowd of Rajgir,” Defender Sanjay said.

Sumit echoed his thoughts: “The crowd was great. It was very good to play here. Thank you very much to Rajgir and Bihar for supporting us throughout the tournament.”

The Indian team will now shift focus to preparing for the upcoming FIH Hockey World Cup and will aim to carry this momentum into the global stage.