India vs China Hockey Asia Cup 2025 LIVE: India will be captained by stalwart Harmanpreet Singh and coached by Craig Fulton, with a good mixture of experience in the squad meaning India have plenty of players who know how to handle themselves at this level.
All the teams are good and we are not taking anyone lightly.”
He also mentioned how the presence of Paddy Upton, a central figure in India across sports, has been important in terms of polishing and keeping sharp.
“It’s good that Paddy is with us. So the sessions have been about handling tough situations during a game. We have also focused on staying alert 2-3 minutes after scoring a goal or the start of the third and fourth quarters. Because that’s a crucial time (in a game) when goals get concealed or we rush to make more goals (leading to mistakes).”
India vs China Hockey Asia Cup 2025 LIVE: India will be captained by stalwart Harmanpreet Singh and coached by Craig Fulton, with a good mixture of experience in the squad meaning India have plenty of players who know how to handle themselves at this level.
GOALKEEPERS: Krishan B Pathak, Suraj Karkera
DEFENDERS: Sumit, Jarmanpreet Singh, Sanjay, Harmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh
MIDFIELDERS: Rajinder Singh, Raj Kumar Pal, Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad.
FORWARDS: Mandeep Singh, Shilanand Lakra, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Dilpreet Singh
India vs China Hockey Asia Cup 2025 LIVE: As is almost tradition with India, the offence has the stick-skills and the ability to retain possession that allows them to control games – but the shakiness at the back has meant that turnovers and counter-attacks have proven crucial through the Pro League. China is a team that could potentially thrive on that being the state of the game, so India need to keep it locked down at the back, and lungs must be busted to ensure that cheap goals aren’t given away.
India vs China Hockey Asia Cup 2025 LIVE: The good news for India is that there is a fall-off in level between the hockey they faced in the Pro League and what they will see in the Asia Cup – here, India are the frontrunners.
In their last 24 matches against China, India have won 18 games, losing only thrice. History points in their direction.
India vs China Hockey Asia Cup 2025 LIVE: There was certainly some optimism around Indian hockey after a strong finish at last year’s Olympics and a team that was beginning to look at par with the giants of hockey in terms of fitness and quality, but the risk of that falling apart for an always-inconsistent Indian team has struck again.
A 7-match losing streak in particular towards the end of the Pro League season stung, and India are desperate for a bounce-back from that.
India vs China Hockey Asia Cup 2025 LIVE: India get going in this tournament as the favourites to go on and lift the trophy. They are the strongest Asian team on the international stage, and while they lost out and only finished third in 2022, they know home advantage is in their favour this time around. For the men in blue, this is the chance to make it count and regain some form.
India vs China Hockey Asia Cup 2025 LIVE: The men’s hockey Asia Cup begins today! Japan and Kazakhstan will get things going in Bihar, but the big game of the day is hosts India pairing up against China, as they begin their campaign with eyes on lifting the trophy for the fourth time. All the live updates as India’s campaign begins, right here on HT Sports!