‘We knew we were here for gold’: Harmanpreet on India’s Asian Games triumph

 India's men's hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh says his players had the confidence to shrug off the World Cup disappointment and win the Asian Games title and qualify for the 2028 Olympics as they "always dominate in Asia".

Harmanpreet struck a brace as India thrashed Malaysia 5-1 in the final on Saturday to clinch the men's hockey gold for the second time in a row.

"The final match was a big opportunity for everybody. There are some players who are representing (India) for the first time in Asian Games, and some guys representing four times, three times, two times.

"We knew we are here for the gold and to qualify for the Olympics. The target was clear," Harmanpreet said.

The build-up to the Asian Games was not the best one, with the team finishing a disappointing ninth in the World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands in August.

"The whole year was actually very, very tough for us because we had so many tournaments. The World Cup wasn’t that good for us, but we know that we always dominate in Asia. We are here to defend the title."

Harmanpreet gave India the lead in the 11th minute from a penalty corner and also scored the last goal in the 57th minute, that too from a penalty corner.

"That's a responsibility. When you get the opportunity you just need to finish it with the goal. And that is in my mind during the match," said Harmanpreet who became the first Indian to lead the team in the back-to-back Asian Games gold.

"Overall we played well. We got so many opportunities. Especially defence-wise. We played very well that's why we got the result."

Asked how he started playing hockey, Harmanpreet said, "It was not a plan. When I was in school, there were plenty of sports to choose from. I didn’t want to play hockey, but hockey chose me. And that’s how my journey started."

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