Muscat, Oct 19 (UNI) Indian Men's Hockey team Chief Coach Harendra Singh says his team has shrugged off the disappointment of the Asian Games and is shaping well ahead of the Hero Asian Champions Trophy encounter against Pakistan on Saturday, October 20.
Title holders India started the tournament with a runaway 11-0 victory over hosts Oman on Thursday, while former champions Pakistan will take on South Korea in their first fixture later Friday before the showpiece sub-continental hockey encounter takes place. "The competitive part of the tournament starts Saturday with the match against Pakistan," said Harendra, who admitted the dejection within the squad when they failed to defend the Asian Games title in Jakarta.
"After the semi-final loss in the Asian Games, the mood was not good for a few days," admitted Harendra. "The disappointment of not winning the Asian Games gold is still playing on the minds of the players somewhat, but we cannot keep thinking of the past."