By Vivek Prabhakar Singh

New Delhi [India], October 10 (ANI): Indian hockey defender Jugraj Singh said that while the public will miss the flavour and intensity of a match against arch-rivals Pakistan during the Asian Champions Trophy, the focus of the team is solely on the tournament and continuing their fine run with another title win in Punjab. 

Jugraj, who was attending the National Tennis Championship in New Delhi, spoke to ANI about the Asian Champions Trophy, happening in his home state of Punjab from October 27 onwards. But the tournament will miss the clash between India and Pakistan, with Bangladesh replacing the former world champions in the tournament after they withdrew. Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) president Mohyuddin Ahmed Wani had last month said that the team's visit to India for the Hockey Asian Champions Trophy is subject to government clearance and the federation will follow whatever the government asks them to do, according to a report by Dawn.

Speaking about his home state hosting such a high-profile tournament, Jugraj feels really proud and looks forward to having players' families get to watch the teams play live on their home soil. 

'It is a very proud moment. In my opinion, international matches are happening here for the first time. It has been a long time since we had matches, and this time we are playing the Champions Trophy in Punjab, in Jalandhar and Mohali. So, I am very happy that in these matches, our family will be able to watch us play live. For us, that is a matter of great pride,' he said. 

The tournament is set to be held across two venues in Punjab - the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar and the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Mohali. Jalandhar will host all league-stage matches from October 27 to November 2, before the action shifts to Mohali for the business end of the tournament. The semi-finals and medal matches will be played at the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium, with the semis scheduled for November 4 and the bronze-medal and gold-medal matches on November 5.

On Pakistan not coming to attend the tournament despite being included in the initial list of teams, Jugraj said, 'We cannot say much about that because it is up to them whether they come or not. But our focus is on the Champions Trophy. If Pakistan had come, that would have been fine too, and there is not any issue with that. But our main focus is on the Asian Champions Trophy. Because we recently won a medal in the Asian Games, our main focus is now on the Champions Trophy-that since it is happening in Punjab and in India, we should focus more on the Champions Trophy and win a medal.'

'It will be missing (the intensity of India-Pakistan matches) as public wants these matches to happen. They will miss that match,' he added, about Pakistan's withdrawal from the tournament. 

With Bangladesh replacing Pakistan, the tournament will feature title holders and reigning Asian Games champions India, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, China and Bangladesh. Fresh from successfully defending their Asian Games gold medal in Japan, five-time ACT winners India will enter the tournament as the top-ranked team and will look to continue their strong record in the competition.

On the level of competition, Jugraj said, 'Bangladesh coming in... in my opinion, like in the final match (at the Asian Games), we had Malaysia. The Malaysian team is coming, Japan is coming, China, Korea-these are quite good teams. It is not that they are bad teams; they are good teams, and there will be great matches. You will definitely enjoy watching them.'

The tournament holds special significance for Punjab, a state that is regarded as the nursery of Indian hockey and has produced generations of iconic players who have contributed to the country's rich hockey legacy. The return of international hockey to Punjab promises to bring the sport closer to its passionate fan base while showcasing the state's enduring connection with the game. (ANI)