 "Bruised in Europe, India eye redemption at Asia Cup hockey in Rajgir’s world-class complex")
It’s almost impossible not to be captivated when the lush green hills draw closer to welcome visitors to Rajgir – most of whom arrive with a preconceived notion about this northeastern city in the state of Bihar with an ancient past. But dispelling those doubts, Rajgir has the capacity to surprise you, especially when you enter the sprawling sports complex – the venue of the Men’s Hockey Asia Cup 2025.
About 100 km from the state’s capital, Patna, Rajgir is trying to find a foothold in the country’s sporting landscape and can use its Buddhist influence, including the Nalanda University and its historic presence since the 5th century, to combine sports with tourism. And the sports complex, spread in almost 100 acres with an investment of over 700 crores to build world-class facilities for 23 sports, will be the centre of attention for the next two weeks as India try to further establish its dominance in Asian men’s hockey by winning the continental showpiece and qualifying for the World Cup.
Indian hockey team: A punch above the rest
For some, it’s almost a given that the world No. 7 India will run through its opponents. But a lot can happen in 60 minutes of fast-paced hockey, where the nimble-footed Chinese and Japanese have troubled India in the past – not to forget the Malaysians and defending champions Korea, who can be dogged on their day.
India’s opening pool game against China will give a fair idea of the team’s preparation because the Chinese team gave India a run for their money in the last Asia Champions Trophy final, which India won just 1-0. Former Asian Games champions Japan and Kazakhstan will be the home team’s other opponents in Pool A.
Pool B comprises Malaysia, Korea, Chinese Taipei and Bangladesh. The top two teams from each pool will go through to the ‘Super 4’ stage, from where the top two will play the final.
Many eyes were on Pakistan playing the tournament, but that became a no-show under prevailing political tensions between the two countries since the Pahalgam terrorist attack and India’s military retaliation in the aftermath. However, India was ready to host Pakistan and issue visas, but the powers on the other side of the border said no to their team’s participation . It leaves Pakistan’s World Cup chances hanging in the balance, hinging on the qualifiers next year.
Pakistan’s loss was Bangladesh’s gain, as the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) sent them as an invite as the next best-ranked team from the AHF Cup, where Bangladesh finished third. Oman, too, withdrew a few days before the tournament because of financial constraints and were replaced by Kazakhstan.
Tough conditions in Rajgir
Acclimatising to the hot and humid conditions in Rajgir will be another challenge. For India, it will be drastic, as they moved from the comfortable Bengaluru climate to the cold Perth for a series of four matches against Australia and now have to endure completely opposite temperatures in the Asia Cup.
It will also be a big change from the 15,000 loud cheers the Indian team is used to in Odisha venues, as the hockey stadium in the Rajgir complex doesn’t have big stands and can accommodate only 2000 fans approximately. The entry to the venue is free for the spectators but restricted to those who register to receive the free tickets.
Not an ideal season so far for India team
India’s first chance to book a World Cup ticket was at the Pro League, but the team returned with 7 defeats in 8 matches, although the margin of most of those defeats was by a goal.
“Results matter, winning and losing matters,” said India captain Harmanpreet Singh while talking to Firstpost ahead of the tournament. “Of course, it was tough to digest. We have also talked about it a lot.”
India’s soft errors in defence and Harmanpreet injuring his hand during the European leg of the Pro League hurt India, but the skipper doesn’t want to use that as an excuse.
“We learnt that we have to focus on our defence first and (realise) position-wise responsibility individually,” he added.
There’s little doubt that India are still trying to fill the void left by goalkeeper PR Sreejesh’s retirement, leaving the last wall of defence with a few holes that Krishan Bahadur Pathak and Suraj Karkera will have to plug, with the Asian Games and World Cup coming up next year.
“We have enough experience in the ranks to know how to absorb pressure, especially in the knockouts,” Pathak told Firstpost.
Karkera was a little more pragmatic in his response.
“It (goalkeeping) is a technical position, it’s the last line of defence. A lot is decided by the coaching staff based on that,” said Karkera.
The team’s Australia tour, which included four matches as preparation for the Asia Cup, ended with three defeats and a win, which made it 10 defeats in the last 12 matches.
But it will only be a shock if India don’t win the Asia Cup with ease because nothing less than a trophy will be considered a satisfactory result for the Tokyo and Paris Olympics bronze medallists.
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