‘Players Were More Disappointed Than Fans’: Hardik Singh on India’s Asian Games Gold After World Cup Setback

Nagoya, October 4, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)

Indian men’s hockey midfielder Hardik Singh has said players were more disappointed than fans after the team’s failure to reach the semi-finals of the FIH World Cup, as India bounced back by successfully defending its Asian Games gold medal and securing direct qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

India’s historic victory marked the first time the men’s hockey team had successfully defended its Asian Games gold. Captain Harmanpreet Singh also became the first Indian skipper to lead the team to two gold medals in the continental event. The triumph was India’s fifth men’s hockey gold at the Asian Games, following victories in 1966, 1998, 2014 and 2023.

India had faced widespread criticism after finishing last in Pool E in the second stage of the FIH World Cup in August. The team suffered defeats against the Netherlands (1-3) and Argentina (3-5), missing out on a semi-final berth.

Reflecting on the pressure following the World Cup campaign, Hardik said the disappointment among players had been even greater than that felt by supporters.

“Fans and media were disappointed after the World Cup. But you don’t know what’s going on in players’ minds. For me personally, it was really hard because we knew that we were underdogs in the Tokyo Olympics. In Paris, we had done well, and our country was with us. There was hope in the World Cup,” Hardik said after India’s Asian Games triumph.

He urged fans to support the team throughout its journey rather than backing it only during major tournaments, including the World Cup. Hardik pointed to Belgian hockey supporters as an example, recalling that Belgium faced no similar wave of negative comments on social media after finishing seventh at the World Cup.

Hardik said the team had been unable to sleep properly for five or six days ahead of the final, with winning gold its clear objective.

“What we didn’t do in the World Cup, we had to do here. We had to show our hockey to the whole world. That was our target. And that’s what we did,” he said.