Islamabad
\nThe event will be held in China
\nPakistan hockey team head coach Olympian Shahnaz Sheikh has said that Green Shirts would surprise India in the Asian Games 2023.
\n\u201cWe will give tough time to both Japan and India in this event to reach the victory stand,\u201d he said while talking to media on Thursday.
\nPakistan team departed for Hangzhou, China, on Thursday night, along with taekwondo and squash teams.
\nShahnaz said that the mistakes and weaknesses identified in the previous tournament have been thoroughly addressed. He said that he would not make tall claims but was confident that the Pakistan hockey team would prove a competent and strong hockey team and reach the victory stand.
\nPakistan are in Group A with India, Japan, Bangladesh, Singapore, and Uzbekistan. He said that India has a good ranking in the world of hockey.
\n\u201cBut as a hockey coach, I know that in the Asian region, there is very little difference between the four or five top teams, and on the day of the match, if they control their nerves, play according to strategy, mark the weaknesses of the rival teams, avoid mistakes, and take advantage of the goal-scoring opportunities, that team will be the winner,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cI am the coach of the Pakistan team that defeated India in their home ground by 4-3 in the Champions Trophy 2014; at that time too, we were considered weak, and they were strong but we were successful in defeating them on their soil,\u201d Shahnaz said.
\n\u201cIn our group, India and Japan are two strong teams, and we will have to defeat them to reach the next round. We have identified their weaknesses and will exploit them,\u201d the coach said.
\nHe said the Pakistan hockey team is composed of young and energetic players.
\n\u201cThey are passing through a development period, and they are fast learners. During the training camp, they have been trained according to the requirements of advanced hockey,\u201d he said.
\nShahnaz said that Pakistan\u2019s goal-scoring ratio on penalty corners was not as good as it should be.
\n\u201cAt crucial times, we often miss goal-scoring chances. This time, a visible change will be seen,\u201d he added.
\nShahnaz said that on PC drills, injector, stopper, and dragger, all three have been trained comprehensively, and the mistakes made in the Champions Trophy and other events were addressed in the training camp.
\nHe said Sufiyan, Arbaz, and Rehman would be the drag flickers, and they were all competent and had improved in the training camp. He hoped they would perform well in the Asian Games in China. He said that the five forwards would follow the attacking game plan to put the rival teams under pressure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Islamabad The event will be held in China Pakistan hockey team head coach Olympian Shahnaz Sheikh has said that Green Shirts would surprise India in the Asian Games 2023. \u201cWe will give tough time to both Japan and India in this event to reach the victory stand,\u201d he said while talking to media on Thursday. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":357774,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-357751","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n