• Asia Cup Hockey 2022: India to face Pakistan in their opening match

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    Asia Cup Hockey 2022: India to face Pakistan in their opening match

    India and Pakistan last met at the Asian Champions Trophy in 2021, with India taking bronze with a 4-3 victory.


    Digital Desk: India will play against arch-rivals Pakistan in the opening match of the Asia Cup Hockey Championship 2022, scheduled to be held on May 23. According to the schedule released on Friday, India, the high team in the world, has been assigned to Pool A alongside Pakistan, Japan, and hosts Indonesia and will face Pakistan in the final match of the first day's schedule.


    Malaysia, South Korea, Oman, and Bangladesh are in Pool B of the eight-team competition, which runs from May 23 to June 1. The competition will begin on May 23 with a Pool B match between Malaysia and Oman.


    The defending Continental champion, India, will play Asian Games gold medalists Japan in their second match on May 24 before facing hosts Indonesia on May 26 at GBK Sports Complex Hockey Stadium in Jakarta to finish their league schedule.


    The top two teams from each pool will advance to the Super 4s Pool, with the top two teams competing in the final on June 1 and the third and fourth-placed teams competing for the bronze medal match.


    India has won the Asia Cup three times and is the most successful nation in the tournament. India and Pakistan last met at the Asian Champions Trophy in 2021, with India taking bronze with a 4-3 victory.


    The Asia Cup is being organized after a two-year break, as it was postponed last year due to the covid-19 pandemic.  


    The top three teams from the Asia Cup will advance to the FIH Hockey World Cup, which will be hosted in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela next year. As the host nation, India has already qualified for the World Cup.