Rajgir (Bihar), Aug 28 : On a day on which India's and world hockey's greatest player was born, the country will launch its bid to gain a direct entry into next year's senior men's hockey World Cup by winning the Asia Cup 2025 here.

August 29, which is celebrated in India as the National Sports Day, is the birth anniversary of the legendary Dhyan Chand, who won three gold medals in the 1928, 1932, and 1936 Olympics and is still considered the greatest player that has ever played the game -- the Wizard of Hockey, who possessed mesmerising skills and displayed ice-cool nerves on the field.

It could not have been a better day to inspire India to score a big win in their attempt to dominate the prestigious Continental championship, the winner of which will bag a direct berth in the World Cup.

The Indian men's hockey team is gearing up to begin its campaign on August 29 in a bid to reclaim the crown that it won in 2017. India's task has been made easy by the absence of archrival Pakistan, which has pulled out of the event because of concerns about the safety of its players.

The Men's Asia Cup has been one of the most prestigious events in Asian hockey, with defending champions South Korea being the most successful team with five titles, while India runs second with three. In the last edition, India finished third as it drew its Semi-Final game against South Korea, who went ahead on a better goal difference.

India are drawn in Pool A alongside China, Japan, and Kazakhstan. The team will open their campaign against China on August 29, followed by a clash against Japan on August 31, before concluding the group stage against Kazakhstan on September 1. Pool B consists of South Korea, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Indonesia. The top two teams from each pool will advance to the Super 4s, and the winner will earn automatic World Cup qualification.

India is coming into the tournament after a disappointing FIH Hockey Pro League European Leg; however, being the highest-ranked Asian country (7th) in the world and playing in front of a home crowd, India is a serious contender for the title.

Speaking about the team's preparations, Coach Craig Fulton said, 'Our preparation has been thorough. The camp in Perth gave us the right intensity, with tough training sessions and competitive matches that sharpened both our physical and tactical readiness. The group is training and playing with real purpose, and we feel ready for the challenge ahead.'

When asked about the team's expectations, he responded, " Our expectation is very clear: to win the Asia Cup and secure qualification for the World Cup. That is our main goal. We know it will be a tough competition with quality opposition, but we believe in the work we've done and in the strength of this squad. If we play to our standards, stay consistent, and execute well, we can achieve what we set out to do.'

Captain Harmanpreet Singh spoke on similar lines and stated, " The preparations have been good. We achieved a lot in the camp and have done a lot of work as a team. Even our recent tour in Australia has been very useful for us because Asian teams, too, play man-to-man in a similar way to the Aussies."

"Any opponent we play, we view them as a strong team, and I believe all the teams participating are good. Our mindset is to make sure that we play smartly, maintain our structure, and do our best. This is the energy in the dressing room, and this is our plan," he concluded.

/IANS