India aim to give final touches to Asiad preparation in Asian Champions Trophy

Threetime champions India will look to give final touches to their Asian Games preparation and address the areas of improvement in the Asian Champions Trophy mens hockey tournament beginning on ThursdayWorld number four India are the highest ranked side in the tournament and will open their campaign against China at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium here which will host a major event for the first time since 2007It is also the first time India would be hosting the ACT since the tournaments inception in 2011For India the primary objective in the tournament would be to test the players and get a fair bit of idea about their Asian rivals ahead of the Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou China from September 23 to October 8With the Asian Games providing a direct ticket to next years Paris Olympics India are expected to test their resources in the ACT while also playing a balancing act to keep their players fresh and free from injuries ahead of the allimportant continental showpieceWhile the scheduling of the ACT just five weeks before the Hangzhou Games has drawn some criticism from the visiting sides India head coach Craig Fulton does not seem to be too offended by the prospect of featuring in this event Its something that you have to do But we need the games So its important that we play it Its even better that its in India Fulton told reporters on TuesdayWe are looking forward to the positives and negatives But at the same time we get to look at a few extra players as well which is important for us Injury is never nice for any team or player So yes I understand the clash and the timingIndia captain Harmanpreet Singh has already clarified that the team will have to be smart in this tournament and will not go allgunsblazing as its priority is the Asian GamesIndia might have gained both in terms of ranking and respect in world hockey but the Tokyo Games bronze medallists fared poorly in the FIH World Cup cohosted by Bhubaneswar andf Rourkela earlier this yearThe Indians finished a disappointing ninth in the World Cup But since then the Harmanpreetled side has played as many as 16 games winning nine of them losing five along with a couple of drawsThe Indians will come into the tournament straight from a fournation Europe tour with only a threeday gap between their last match in Spain and their opener against China in ACT and that too in contrasting conditionsAlso Read If India donrsquot win in Hangzhou theyll travel to Pak for Oly qualifiers TirkeyThe one area India will be looking to address in the tournament is penalty corner conversion rate Despite boasting of potent dragflickers in Harmanpreet Varun Kumar Amit Rohidas and Jugraj Singh the conversion rate has been a topic of debate latelyBut coach Fulton is not sleeping over itWe have a worldclass penalty corner specialists All the players involved in it are really good Opposition teams know we have a threat there and try to diminish it by trying to run down or not conceding as many is always something that teams are trying to do and thats what we try to do Fulton had saidI think we can always improve Its just how much detail we want to go into and how much time we put into improving itGoing by Indias record in the ACT the tournament has been a mixed bag for them over the years India had won the event in its inaugural edition in 2011 2016 and 2018 when they shared the title jointly with Pakistan after the final was washed outIndia also won a silver 2012 and a bronze 2021 in the tournament the last one just four months after the high of an Olympic medalChina on the other hand would be playing their first competitive tournament this year having missed the World CupIn other matches of the opening day defending champions South Korea will take on Japan while Pakistan will play MalaysiaWith agency inputs