Little time to get into the groove, an under-the-weather Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh, teams unsure of the scheduling and officials racing against time to get everything in place will mark the return of international hockey to Chennai when teams take the field on the opening day of the Asian Champions Trophy on Thursday.
For the host, it will be the final opportunity to try out its plans and personnel before the Asian Games next month amidst high pressure and higher expectations at the revamped Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium. For everyone else, it will be a chance to assess the opponents in what is being billed as a test event ahead of the big-ticket outing in Hangzhou.
On Wednesday evening, India had its first training session without Harmanpreet although the drag-flicker is expected to play in India’s opening game against China, the lowest-ranked side in the tournament. Given India’s record of starting slow and often slipping against Asian opponents, it could not have asked for an easier game to get into the rhythm, relatively speaking.
