Kakamigahara, Oct 1 (IANS) India defender Jarmanpreet Singh said the team’s primary objective from the start of the Asian Games is to win the gold medal and secure qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, after the defending champions survived a Pakistan fightback to reach the men’s hockey final here on Thursday.
India defeated Pakistan 4-3 in a tense semifinal at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium, having initially built a 3-0 lead before their arch-rivals levelled the score in the final quarter. Abhishek’s late goal, around 40 seconds from the final hour, sealed India’s place in the title clash.
Jarmanpreet said India had deliberately approached the tournament one match at a time, with the semifinal victory representing an important step towards their bigger objectives.
“It was very important for us to win this because our main target from the start was to win the gold medal here and qualify for the Olympics. We went match by match, and even today our focus was on winning this match first and reaching the final. This is a very good step for us, and we will try to do well in the final,” Jarmanpreet told IANS.
India had looked in control after Harmanpreet Singh scored twice and Sukhjeet Singh added another, but Pakistan mounted a strong comeback to make it 3-3.
Jarmanpreet said the team remained focused on giving its best despite the intensity of the contest.
“Our focus was to give 100 per cent. I think in such matches, these heat-of-the-moment situations are important because they keep the match alive. The match remained like that, so our only focus was that we had to win this match and leave the field with a victory,” he said.
Calling the victory over Pakistan important, Jarmanpreet praised the opponents while highlighting India’s performance under pressure.
“This win was very important. Reaching the final was very important, and by winning the semifinal, we have taken one step forward. Our matches against Pakistan are always like this. Pakistan are also a good team, and they played well, but our team performed better and won to move forward,” he said.
Sanjay, meanwhile, said India’s ability to stay together through the difficult phases of the semifinal was key to the victory.
“It was a very tough match, but we always expect semifinals and knockout matches to be like this. We supported and motivated each other regardless of the score. It does not matter if the score becomes 3-3 or whatever. What matters is what the score is when the 60 minutes are over and whether you feel that you did what you had planned. We definitely followed our plan and did that today, and we won,” Sanjay said.
He said the players focused on their game plan rather than the noise surrounding an India-Pakistan contest.
“Whoever we play, we always think about working on the plan we have made. We focus on the match and do not worry about who is shouting outside. We focus on our game. Whether the opposition is Pakistan or Korea, it does not matter. We just have to keep doing what we have decided and not take pressure from any team,” he said.
–IANS
sds/vi