‘ACT title triumph will really count as India prepare for Asian Games’

Chennai: The Asian Champions Trophy title triumph will “really count” as India set sights on Asian Games gold in order to secure automatic qualification to 2024 Paris Olympics, said head coach Craig Fulton.

The India hockey team fought back from two goals down to eke out a 4-3 win over Malaysia in the final to claim their fourth ACT title here on Saturday.

With the Hangzhou Asian Games scheduled to commence on September 23, Fulton was asked whether a thrilling final like this will help the side in the continental showpiece event.

“Finals are cagier; they never go smooth. It comes down to a moment or shootouts. So, it’s important to have a game like this because it really counts.

“At the same time, it’s (ACT) not the Asian Games. So, our feet are firmly on the ground. But, if you said to me to win the Asian Games and lose this final, I would obviously vouch for winning the Games,” added Fulton. Fulton said the comeback story of the team had begun two months back. “Two months ago,” Fulton told PTI.

Asked about the biggest learning from this tournament, he said, “Not to have back-to-back tournaments; that would be a start.” Several teams had reservations over the timing of ACT with the Asian Games just weeks away. Decoding the performance India were trailing 1-3 at half-time before they turned things around in the second half.

Decoding the performance, Fulton, while

giving due credit to Malaysia, said that coming into the final after a “high-quality” semifinal against Japan the previous day hadn’t been easy. India thrashed Japan 5-0 in the last-four stage.