Red-eyed and excited, favourite India lands up for the Asian Champions Trophy

The Indian hockey team on arrival at the Chennai International Airport early morning on Tuesday for The Hero Asian Champions Trophy Chennai 2023.
| Photo Credit: VELANKANNI RAJ B

The Indian team landed here early Tuesday morning and captain Harmanpreet Singh, suffering from mild fever for the past few days, was visibly exhausted as he, accompanied by coach Craig Fulton, had a first look at the newly laid turf and revamped Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in the evening.

Craig Fulton, head coach of the Indian hockey team on arrival at the Chennai International Airport early morning on Tuesday for The Hero Asian Champions Trophy Chennai 2023.
| Photo Credit:
VELANKANNI RAJ B

The rest of the team will only get its first feel of the ground on Wednesday. While other teams, including Malaysia and Korea, made it clear that a tournament on a new turf so close to the Asian Games was less than ideal, Fulton and Harmanpreet preferred to look at the positives.

“You can see it both ways. Injuries are always a concern but again, we needed these matches. We haven’t played many games this year, so the timing may not be ideal but it was necessary,” Fulton shrugged.

“We haven’t actually seen it, we will train tomorrow. If it is playing slower, that is always a challenge for every team but we need to take into account that it’s new. It’s just like we played in Spain where they got a brand-new turf. The nice thing is that everyone’s in the same boat.”

The captain was equally circumspect. “It happens a lot but with back-to-back tournaments we normally get 1-2 weeks in-between. But this time, it is almost immediately. Also, it’s a new turf so of course it will be difficult. Players take some time to get used to a surface, not just us. The teams will also be very different from the Europeans with very different patterns but it is good for us, we need the matches,” he insisted.

And while the focus will obviously be on winning, Fulton claimed the priority was looking inward. “It’s a little bit of chess at times, I think. The main thing is to know ourselves and know what we need to do and improve. Once you reach that level, then you can worry about everyone else.”