Indian crew making ready laborious for the Asia Cup, says HI president Tirkey

It was a woefully disappointing efficiency by the Indian males’s hockey crew within the not too long ago concluded FIH Professional League, having completed eighth amongst 9 groups, with the facet struggling seven successive losses within the European leg.

Dilip Tirkey, president of Hockey India, admitted that it has been a sub-par efficiency by the crew, however Hockey India is watching the squad’s efficiency and welcomed the crew administration to share details about gamers’ type.

“Sure, the crew didn’t carry out as anticipated within the Professional League. If the gamers are drained and if they don’t seem to be in a position to play effectively [for some reason or other], I’ve requested the crew administration to tell us. If the senior gamers should not performing to their very own requirements, the selectors can take strict motion. We now have necessary tournaments just like the World Cup (August 14 to 30, 2026) and the Asian Video games (September 19 to Oct. 4, 2026) developing,” Tirkey instructed The Hindu, on the sidelines of the Nationwide sub-junior males’s hockey championships right here on Monday.

With the Asia Cup (to be held from August 27 to September 7) in Rajgir, Bihar, the place a spot is reserved for the winner to the World Cup, Tirkey mentioned the match carries lots of weight. “The Asia Cup is a vital match. The crew is making ready laborious for it,” he mentioned.

The Junior males’s World Cup to be held in Madurai and Chennai from November 28 to December 10, will likely be an enormous success, with the help of the Tamil Nadu Authorities, mentioned Tirkey. “The Authorities has at all times supported hockey. Take as an illustration the 2007 Asia Cup and the Asian Champions Trophy in 2023,” he added.

The choice to incorporate 24 groups within the Junior World Cup, Tirkey claimed is to increase the bottom. “The weaker groups will steadily acquire curiosity and get higher. FIH (Worldwide physique for hockey) is doing it to advertise the game. One-sided matches occurred even when the World Cup had 16 groups,” he mentioned.