NEW DELHI: Former captain of the Indian hockey team, Sardar Singh has said that the team have improved a lot in the last few years and they are hoping to win gold in the upcoming 18th edition of the Asian Games.
"Team have been performing really well from last three-four years. This tournament is really important for the Asian Teams. Everybody would look to win as the winning team will get a direct entry into the Tokyo Olympics," Sardara said.
"Everybody will come prepared but the way Indian team have practised, I am hopeful of winning gold in the Asian Games," he added.
Reflecting on the Penalty Corner conversion issue that the team have been facing lately, the 32-year-old admitted that there are quite a few areas that they need to work on. He asserted that a special attention was paid towards the drag-flickers during the practice session and the players are improving quickly.
When asked about the upcoming men's hockey World Cup, the centre-half player said that their primary focus is on Asian Games.
Echoing the similar views, Indian Coach Harendra Singh said that the team is fully prepared for the upcoming tournament and the boys will go in the field with a winning mindset.
The Indian team are riding high on confidence after their fantastic run in the 2018 Champions Trophy where they lost a close final against Australia. The team will be looking to continue with this momentum in the Asian Games as well.
On a related note, Asian Games are slated to be held from August 18 to September 2 in the Indonesia cities of Jakarta and Palembang.