Asia Cup win augurs well for men’s hockey team
THE Indian men’s hockey team has reaffirmed that it is indisputably the best in Asia. The emphatic victory in the Asia Cup at Rajgir, Bihar, is all the more sweet as it comes months after India celebrated 50 years of its lone title triumph in the World Cup. The squad, admirably led by penalty-corner specialist Harmanpreet Singh, has secured a berth in next year’s World Cup. India got off to a scratchy start in the Asia Cup, winning tight encounters against China and defending champions South Korea. These were followed by a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Korea in the Super 4s. The team, however, reserved its best for the last. A day after trouncing China 7-0, India outclassed Korea 4-1 in the final before a vociferous crowd. The sheer dominance was reminiscent of India’s 5-1 decimation of Japan in the Asian Games final two years ago.
