Indian hockey teams have a popular Asian Games brand. But there is work to be done

When the Indian hockey teams go to the Asian Games, the expectations will be sky high. And there’s actually a bit of a surprise.

The Indian men’s team has been a dominant force in Asian hockey for quite some time now and the record proves it. They have won four Asian Games gold medals, four Asian Cup titles and five Asian Champions crowns.

ASIAN GAMES 2026: FULL REPORT

In the last edition of the Asia Cup, India drew once but otherwise dominated their Asian opponents and went on to win the title.

The women’s team, meanwhile, has its own proud history in continental hockey. India won the Asian Games gold in 1982 and have since added three Asian Champions Trophy titles to their trophy cabinet.

Their recent progress is also encouraging. At the World Cup of Hockey, Sjoerd Marijne’s team finished fifth, showing that they can compete with some of the strongest teams in the world. That run included a draw with China, silver medalists from the Paris Olympics and one of the dominant forces in Asian women’s hockey.

So on paper, India head into the Asian Games with every reason to believe gold is within reach.

But the mood around Indian hockey was not so straightforward.

The last few months have been dominated by an internal power struggle within Hockey India, while the saffron jersey controversy added to the buzz just ahead of the World Cup. Furthermore, the future of Hockey India League remains uncertain.

Suddenly, the Asian Games is about much more than medals.

Teams India arrive as favourites, but also carry the weight of expectations. Especially for the men’s team, anything less than gold could raise some uncomfortable questions.

Watch Asian Games 2026 live and exclusively on Sony Sports Network and Sony LIV.

NOISE PRESSURE

To understand how India should approach the Asian Games amid all the turmoil, there are few better people to ask than former India defender Viren Rasquinha.

Rasquinha believes the women’s team in particular has shown they can rise above the uncertainty surrounding Indian hockey.

“The men’s team had a bit of a turbulent World Cup, but really, when you talk about hockey, I like to talk about the women. I thought the women had an excellent World Cup compared to previous years.”

But how do players deal with the noise as the sport around them goes through a turbulent phase?

For Rasquinho, the answer is simple. Dealing with distractions is part of the job when you represent Indian hockey. He says he has to stay focused on what’s happening on the field.

“With all the administrative stuff going on, yes, I think it’s definitely a turbulent time,” Rasquinha said. “But as players, I think part of the skills required when you represent Indian hockey is to be able to really focus on what your job is as a player and not get distracted by events off the field.”

This news could be especially important for the men’s team.

India suffered a disappointing World Cup finish, finishing eighth after failing to beat any of the higher-ranked teams. Their campaign was full of inconsistency and they often seemed to fall short of the level expected of a side that carries such a heavy burden of expectation.

The Asian Games now offer an immediate opportunity to respond.

Rasquinha knows the stakes are high. India is expected to win gold, but one bad day can undo years of preparation, as the team found out at the 2018 Asian Games.

“The men’s team has a lot to work on because the expectations are high. You are right when you say we are the favorites for gold in men’s hockey. But in international sports, one bad day can really spoil things, as we saw in the 2018 Asian Games when we had a bad day in the semi-finals and lost,” Rasquinha said.

And this time there is another motivation behind Asian dominance.

The Asian Games also provides India with a direct route to Olympic qualification. Missing out would mean having to go through Olympic qualification, where the pressure and uncertainty can quickly mount.

“We have to really focus and perform really well. I think it’s a golden chance for both teams to secure automatic Olympic qualification and believe me it makes such a huge difference in preparation because then you’re freed from the burden of going through the Olympic qualification process, which can be really bumpy, full of tension and stress, and gives you less opportunity to try new things, new variations, new systems, new systems, new players. 28 Olympics.

FAITH IN THE FEMALE SIDE

It wasn’t that long ago that calling India genuine contenders for women’s hockey gold at the Asian Games would have sounded ambitious.

The women’s team enjoyed a historic run at the Tokyo Olympics, but their momentum faded afterward. They failed to qualify for Paris 2024 and went through another period of changes in coaching and managerial setup.

There is a different feeling in the team now.

Under Marijne, the Indian women look revitalized and their performance at the World Cup gave them something they desperately needed: belief.

China remains the benchmark in Asian women’s hockey. They comfortably won gold at the Asian Games last year and silver at the Paris Olympics.

However, India has narrowed this gap.

“If you ask me about the women’s team. I would say China was miles ahead because they won the Asian Games gold very easily last time and also finished second in the Paris Olympics and played amazing hockey in Paris.”

“But I thought the Indian women’s team really surprised us all. They played such good hockey this time.”

The combativeness, the team spirit impressed me.”

“I would still say that the Indian women’s hockey team is not a firm favourite, but there is a 50-50 chance between India and China in women’s hockey,” Rasquinha said.

A significant part of this turnaround comes from the work Marijne has done to build unity in the group and increase the physical level of the team.

The Dutch coach also brought in Wayne Lombardo, who has worked with some of India’s top athletes, to strengthen the team’s sports science and conditioning program.

“What Short Marjine has definitely done is just brought a lot of team unity. I think it’s done a great job of bringing the team together, fighting for each other, and I think Wayne Lombard and his team of sports science experts have done a fantastic job with the fitness and strength levels of the Indian women’s team.”

“I felt like they were able to get involved on offense, throw numbers. Everyone was coming back and defending as a team. To me, that was really impressive. So the combination of factors for the women’s team is really good,” Rasquinha said.

The task now is to ensure that the World Cup is not just the pinnacle, but the beginning of something bigger.

PRESSURE ON FULTON?

For several years, Craig Fulton’s position as India’s men’s coach seemed secure.

He won an Olympic bronze medal, followed up his Asian Games gold and added more continental achievements. But the disappointing World Cup inevitably changed the conversation.

Hockey India had previously shown little hesitation in changing their coach after a poor World Cup campaign when Graham Reid left after India’s disappointing performance at the 2023 home World Cup.

So does Fulton now face a similar level of scrutiny?

Rasquinha believes the pressure will be inevitable if India do not win the gold.

“For the men’s team, if we don’t win the gold. I think it comes with the territory, there will be pressure. Like I said, we’re expected to win the gold. There’s no other Asian team in the top 10 in the world. We’re defending gold medalists at the Asian Games, so the nature of hockey or cricket in our country is that if we don’t win, I think it’s just the job and the expectation of the coach in our country, the coach. The team will be under pressure to keep their places.

Still, I am sure they will win the gold, but they have to play much better than they did at the World Cup,” said Rasquinha.

That is ultimately the challenge that India faces.

The Asian Games represent an opportunity to quiet the noise, secure direct Olympic qualification and restore some of the confidence lost during a tough World Cup campaign.

For the women’s team, this is a chance to prove that their resurgence is real. For the men’s side, it’s an opportunity to show that the World Cup was an aberration rather than a symptom of a deeper problem.

Expectations will be huge when India take to the field for a hockey competition.

Now they have to make sure their performances are louder than the noise that surrounds them.

– The end

Published on:

18 September 2026, 6:00 AM IST