ACT title win will really matter in India’s preparation for Asian Games: Fulton

Chennai. Indian men’s hockey team head coach Craig Fulton has said that at a time when India are eyeing a gold medal at the Asian Games and automatically qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) title win will really help. Will matter The Indian hockey team made a stunning comeback from two goals down to beat Malaysia 4-3 to lift the Asian Champions Trophy title for a record fourth time here on Saturday. With the Asian Games starting in Hangzhou from September 23, Fulton was asked whether such a thrilling final would help the Indian team in the continental competition.

Fulton said, “Finals are always weird. They are never easy. This match could also go to the shootout. It is important to have such an exciting match because that is what really matters. Not required. But if you ask me to win the Asian Games and lose this final, I will definitely choose the Asian Games win. India were trailing 1-3 at half-time in the final but made a spectacular comeback in the second half. India made it to the finals by thrashing Japan 5-0 in the semi-finals.

Fulton said, “The match against Malaysia was really great. Earlier the match against Japan was also of a high standard. Malaysia played brilliantly in the first half. We didn’t play bad either but we didn’t show 100 per cent commitment as we wanted to. He said, ‘We organized ourselves after the interval. We only needed one goal to come back. After that we could have scored the equalizer at any time and then the decisive goal. The way the team came back from two goals down shows its spirit.

Disclaimer: IndiaTheNews has not edited this news. This news has been published from PTI-language feed.