Today, the Indian Men’s Hockey Team will open their Hero Asia Cup 2022 campaign against Pakistan at the GBK Sports Complex Hockey Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia. As the world waits for the blockbuster match between the two arch-rivals, Team India will be captained by Olympic medalist Birendra Lakra, with SV Sunil, an experienced striker, and a four-time Asia Cup veteran, as his deputy.
Based on both teams’ prior performances, the reigning champions will have to manage the pressure when they face Pakistan in the Asia Cup on Monday.
While Pakistan has a number of new faces in the event, India will be represented by its A’ team, which will be led by veteran Birendra Lakra, who came out of retirement following the Tokyo Olympics.
The Asia Cup provides an opportunity for India to assess its bench strength ahead of a hectic season that includes the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and the FIH World Cup next year, which the Tokyo Olympic medalists have already qualified to host.
Pakistan, on the other side, is hoping to qualify for the 2023 World Cup in Bhubaneswar by winning the competition. The top three teams in Asia will qualify for the showcase in January.
India and Pakistan have shared the Asia Cup three times.
In 2017, India won the previous edition by defeating Malaysia in the final in Dhaka.
Former captain Sardar Singh will coach India’s 20-member side, which was intended to be led by Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Rupinder Pal Singh, who also came out of retirement, but was forced to withdraw due to a wrist injury.
SV Sunil, another veteran who has returned from retirement and is considered as a livewire on the field, is part of the Indian squad.
Sunil will be Lakra’s deputy after missing the Tokyo Olympics squad due to injuries.
Yashdeep Siwach, Abhisek Lakra, Manjeet, Vishnukant Singh, and Uttam Singh are among the Indian players that are poised to make their senior India debuts. They’d all competed in the junior World Cup.
Mareeswaren Sakthivel, Sheshe Gowda BM, Pawan Rajbhar, Abharan Sudev, and S Karthi are among the newcomers to the team, and it will be interesting to watch how Sardar manages to get the best out of them.
The new players are aware that a strong showing in the Asia Cup can help them get selection for the Commonwealth Games team, as the national selectors and top coach Graham Reid will be watching intently.
Simranjeet Singh, a member of the Indian Olympic team in Tokyo, will return to the forward line after a long injury layoff.
However, it would be up to a small group of seniors to lead the youths through the battle.
It (pressure) is constant (in Pakistan match). Any match involving Pakistan is usually tense. However, as seniors, if we become overly enthusiastic, the junior players may feel under pressure. As a result, India vice-captain Sunil Gavaskar observed, “We need to treat it like any other match.”
It will not be an easy competition, but we can win if we stick to our game plan. We must inspire, guide, and accompany the youth. As a result, we bear significant duties.
Pakistan will enter the competition following a mixed bag tour of Europe under new coach Siegfried Aikman, during which the squad played five matches, winning two of them (two each against the Netherlands and Spain and one against Belgium).
With both sides having young players, it will be interesting to observe how they manage their emotions and tempers on the field.
Following Pakistan, India will play Japan in the second Pool A encounter on Tuesday before hosting Indonesia on May 26.
Pool B includes Malaysia, Korea, Oman, and Bangladesh.
Malaysia will face Oman and South Korea will face Bangladesh in Pool B, while Japan will meet Indonesia in Pool A.
Asia Cup 2022: India vs Pakistan — When and Where To Watch
Match: India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup Hockey 2022, Pool A
Date of Match: May 23, 2022 Monday
Time: 5:00 PM IST
Venue: Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex, Gelora, Central Jakarta, Indonesia.
TV Channels: Star Sports First, Star Sports Select 2/HD
LIVE Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar
India Squad
Goalkeepers: Pankaj Kumar Rajak, Suraj Karkera
Defenders: Yashdeep Siwach, Abhisek Lakra, Birendra Lakra (c), Manjeet, Dipsan Tirkey
Midfielders: Vishnukant Singh, Raj Kumar Pal, Mareeswaren Sakthivel, Sheshe Gowda BM, Simranjeet Singh
Forwards: Pawan Rajbhar, Abharan Sudev, SV Sunil (vc), Uttam Singh, S. Karthi;
Replacements: Maninder Singh, Nilam Sanjeep Xess
Standbys: Pawan, Pardeep Singh, Ankit Pal, Angad Bir Singh.
Head Coach: Sardar Singh
Pakistan Squad
Goalkeepers: Akmal Hussain, Abdullah Ishtiaq Khan
Defenders: Mubashir Ali, Emad Shakeel Butt, Hamaduddin Anjum, Muhammad Abdullah, Rizwan Ali
Midfielders: Umar Bhatta (c), Ali Shan, Moin Shakeel, Abdul Hanan, Junaid Manzoor, Ghazanfar Ali
Forwards: Abu Bakar Mahmood, Ejaz Ahmed, Rana Abdul Waheed, Muhammad Salman Razzaq, Roman, Afraz, Abdul Hanan Shahid
Head Coach: Siegfried Aikman