New Delhi
Indian hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh said the unity among the players and their indomitable spirit helped India win the Asian Champions Trophy for a record fifth time. India beat China 1-0 thanks to Jugraj Singh’s last minute goal in the final in Hulunbuir on Tuesday. Pakistan won the bronze medal with a 5-2 win over South Korea.
According to Hockey India’s release, Harmanpreet said, “The final was really tense. The Chinese team challenged us strongly throughout the match, which made it difficult to create a chance to score a goal.” He said, “But in the last few years, the confidence of the players in each other has increased a lot. We are ready to do anything for each other. This kind of unity helps us win the match.”
The Indian captain said, ‘Winning the gold medal in the Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai last year, the gold medal in the Hangzhou Asian Games and the bronze medal in the Paris Olympics has created a great camaraderie within the team.’ Harmanpreet led from the front in these competitions. She scored 10 goals in the Paris Olympics. India scored a total of 26 goals in the Asian Champions Trophy, of which seven goals were scored by Harmanpreet. She scored all her goals on penalty corners. Harmanpreet said that it would be important to continue this success in the future as well.
He said, ‘We are proud that we were able to defend our title but the work is not over here. There are still some areas that need improvement. We have to become stronger as a team.’ Vice-captain Vivek Sagar said that after winning the bronze medal in the Olympics, the goal of every team was to defeat India. He said, ‘It was not easy to play against any team in the group stage. After winning the bronze medal in the Olympics, every team had made it their goal to defeat India. But each of our players gave their best.’
