India look to make most of ACT before Asian Games

Chennai: All six teams that have arrived here for the Asian Champions Trophy are treating the tournament as a try-out for the Asian Games, which has a direct Olympic berth at stake. But the fact that it was slotted for just five weeks ahead of the Games has left teams concerned about possible injuries going into the crucial event.Both the Malaysian and Korean coaches expressed their disapproval of the scheduling, saying it would not give players enough time to recuperate and regroup for the tourney. Depite arriving here straight from a four-nation tournament in Terrassa, Spain, India coach Craig Fulton felt there was nothing wrong with the timing of the ACT. “I think there was a challenge with very few international games for Asian hockey at the time. So there was obviously a need to create something,” Fulton said on Tuesday.The scheduling is somewhat similar to what happens in Europe, the coach pointed out. A number of European tournaments are played before the Olympics, and the match practice helps the players as per him. “I understand the concerns, but we need the games. It’s important that we play, and even better for us that this one is in India,” he added. For India, in particular, there is virtually no time to regroup and recalibrate for the drastically different conditions at play. The team landed in Chennai on Tuesday and will be playing its first game on Thursday evening, hardly getting the chance to even shake off the jet lag, let alone transitioning to the humid weather. India skipper Harmanpreet Singh said: “It is definitely going to be difficult. Usually we get at least one or two weeks between tournaments. This is happening almost right away. And it’s a new turf, so players will need to get used to it as well.”On top of that is the pressure to perform in front of an ultra-supportive but equally demanding home crowd. But Harmanpreet believes the tour of Spain has aided preparations and given them a good chance at going all the way here. “The matches we have played in Spain have helped us grow as a team and with our structure. The preparations are solid,” he said.The fact that the Asian Games are coming up soon after also means that teams will have to be judicious about the intensity with which they play here, and perhaps consider holding back some variations or surprise moves. Harmanpreet agreed. “We have to be smart. It is important to plan what we want to show and what we don’t. But at the same time, winning is equally important. The tournament is happening at home, so it is our responsibility to do well for the nation.”Korea coach unhappy with predominantly afternoon matches: Korean coach Shin Seok-kyo laid bare his disappointment at being allotted a majority of 4pm matches, when the heat will be at its highest. Shin questioned the timings of their matches with respect to those of India, who will play all their pool matches at 8:30pm. “Why is it that we have to play almost all matches in the afternoon, while India get to play everything in the cool evening? It should have been distributed evenly. This doesn’t seem fair to me,” Shin said.
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