‘Players were more disappointed than fans after WC…’: Hardik on silencing critics with Asian Games gold
Nagoya, Oct 4 (IANS) Indian men’s hockey had faced intense criticism after failing to reach the semi-finals of the FIH World Cup, but the team had a golden redemption on Saturday, successfully defending its Asian Games crown and earning a direct berth to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
It’s the first time that India have successfully defended their Asian Games hockey gold, which also makes Harmanpreet Singh the first Indian captain to lead the team to two gold medals in the continental event. Overall, it’s India’s fifth Asian Games men’s hockey gold – adding to the top-place finishes in 1966, 1998, 2014 and 2023.
As FIh World Cup in August, the Indian men’s team failed to make the semis after finishing last in Pool E in the second stage after suffering defeats against the Netherlands (1-3) and Argentina (3-5), drawing widespread criticism from fans and oundits across.
But, with the historic Asian Games gold and a ticket to LA 2028 Olympics, the Harmanpreet Singh-led side silenced its critics in style. Speaking about the same, midfielder Hardik Sigh said though fans were quite disappointed after the team’s performance at the World Cup, they don’t know what was going on in players’ minds at the time, adding that “players were more disappointed than the fans.”
“Fans and media were disappointed after the World Cup. But you don’t know what’s going on in players’ minds. And for me personally, it was really hard because we knew that we were underdogs in the Tokyo Olympics. In Paris, we have done well, and our country was with us. There was hope in the World Cup,” Hardik told IANS after India defended Asian Games gold medal.
Hardik further urged fans to not just support the team in one tournament but back them throughout their journey.
“I just want to say one thing. If you are cheering for us. Don’t come for only the World Cup. There are matches of our league. You can come there and watch us. We know that we are disappointed in the World Cup. There is no one more disappointed than the athletes,” he added.
Highlighting the example of Belgian fans, the midfielder recalled that when Belgium finished seventh in the Hockey World Cup, there were no negative comments for them in social media.
“If you see the Belgium team when they lost. There was no negative comment on their social media. We were really wondering, ‘These are the fans,” said Hardik. “We have just won. So everyone will say that it was their goal. But if we had lost, they would have said that they couldn’t do it. If you want to support us. Please come forward. And follow our hockey journey.”
Sharing his feeling after the gold medal win, Hardik revealed that the team “hasn’t been able to sleep well for the last five or six days. The goal was to win the gold medal. What we didn’t do in the World Cup, we have to do here. We have to show our hockey to the whole world. That was our target. And that’s what we did.”
–IANS
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