Asian Games: 'Our goal is to leave China with no regrets'- Indian Men's hockey team's forward Abhishek

Abhishek, who started his hockey career on a grass pitch is all set for the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games. The 24-year-old player is excited about the biggest Asian tournament of his career, says his aim is to play with confidence and leave China without "any regrets".

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Regarding his selection, Abhishek was quoted by Hockey India as saying, "I am ecstatic to have been named to the squad, and I am eager to give my all on the pitch. The 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 is a big tournament, and we're preparing accordingly. We'll play with confidence, and our goal is to leave China with no regrets at the end of the tournament."

When Abhishek was nine-year-old, his school teacher Shamsher Singh encouraged him to pick up the stick while he was studying in Sonepat, and he has shown no signs of slowing down since then. Abhishek said, "I played on grass for the first ten years of my career, and the first time I played on turf was when I transferred to the National Hockey Academy (NHA) for a couple of years. That period of my career was memorable; I competed in the U-18 Asia Cup from the National Hockey Academy and made the Junior Indian Men's Hockey Team in 2017."

"After that, I joined the Punjab National Bank Hockey Team in 2018 and played there for three years before making it to the Indian men's hockey team based on my performance in the 1st Hockey India Senior Men Inter-Department National Championship 2021 in Bangalore." He added.

Abhishek made his debut in the 2021-22 FIH Hockey Pro League and made his name on the big stage by winning two Player of the Match awards during the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar Rourkela.

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When Abhishek was asked about his team's preparations for the 19th Asian Games, he said, "We will face some good teams, and we are working very hard in training to make sure we are in the best physical and mental shape when we step onto the pitch. "My teammates and coaches are all eager to help me; they encourage me and support me in moving forward quickly if I make any mistakes in training."

India has been placed in Pool A of the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 along with Pakistan, Japan, Bangladesh, Singapore and Uzbekistan.