Report: India have really good chance to win gold at Asian Games, says Pakistan hockey assistant coach Rehan Butt

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Published at :August 23, 2023 at 3:43 AM

Modified at :January 13, 2024 at 6:13 PM

(Courtesy : The Hindu)

The Indian men’s hockey team recently thrashed Pakistan en route to lifting the Asian Champions Trophy 2023 title.

India and Pakistan have always been arch-rivals irrespective of any sport. Rehan Butt is one such prominent Pakistani hockey player who has played this high-pressure match multiple times in his career.

In his recent interview with The Times of India, he stated the Indian star hockey player Harmanpreet Singh is the only big name now and no other country is keeping up that quality of the game. He said “If you talk about one (star) player that India relies on currently, it’s their drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh. But, which foreign player do you think is a big star?

“Earlier, there was Christopher Zeller, Teun de Nooijer, Taeke Taekema, Floris Bovelander and many others. People knew them. Right now, I don’t think fans can name even one player who plays for Holland, Germany and so on.”

The Indian hockey team showed sheer dominance against the arch-rivals. At the recently concluded Asian Champions Trophy 2023, India thrashed Pakistan 4-0 on their way to the finals.

Rehan Butt also claimed that India has a high chance to clinch the gold medal in the upcoming Asian Games as they are among the top-ranked teams in Asia and have delivered some power-packed performances at the Asian Champions Trophy 2023.

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He said, “India have a really good chance to win gold at the upcoming Asian Games at Hangzhou. They are a very superior team, ranked World No. 4 (climbed to No. 3 after winning the Asian Champions Trophy). The other Asian teams are far behind at No. 9, 10, and lower.”

Though Pakistan didn’t have the best of tournaments, the team played with dedication and professionalism. As the Asian Games come closer, the Pakistan hockey team will look to better their performances against the higher-ranked teams.

Butt explained how Pakistan hockey has been hampered by short-term planning and now is planning long-term for bigger success. Further, the young team that recently took part in the Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai is playing well with very less international experience.

“Pakistan hockey is now tired of short-term planning; we have to start planning for the long term. If you see the team that participated at the Asian Champions Trophy 2023, it’s a young team, with players having 2, 4, 5 caps. Till now, whatever little international experience they have, the team is performing excellently. It’s like we are getting to see the old attacking play of Pakistan back. It feels good,” he said.

As all the Asian countries gets ready for the much-awaited Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China, the Men In Blue will aim to finish on top for direct qualification to the Paris Olympics 2024.

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Sayantan Barua

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