The Indian hockey team is riding high after qualifying for the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup 2025, which is being played in Rajgir, Bihar. Furthermore, they crushed Kazakhstan 15-0 to finish the league stage.
The team has showcased its dominance and appear favourites to win the continental showdown, which will also assure them a spot in the next Men's Hockey World Cup. Paddy Upton, who has previously served Indian cricket and was also part of the 2011 World Cup winning setup, now works as the mental strength and conditioning coach with the men's hockey unit.
Upton in an interview with Mid-Day stated that the Indian hockey team is far superior to the cricket team in terms of commitment, sleep, diet, and training. He added that in terms of physicality, the hockey team has "18–20 Virat Kohlis".
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“If I compare the dedication to sleeping, eating, training of this team to my time in Indian cricket, these guys are another five leagues above that Indian cricket team. Virat, at his level of fitness and dedication, is unique in world cricket but here each player is as good as him. This is a team of 18 or 20 Virat Kohlis when it comes to that level of physicality,” Upton said.
Upton also disclosed that captain Harmanpreet Singh and head coach Craig Fulton want him to remain with the team prior to important competitions such as the World Cup next year and the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
“The leadership group, [coach] Craig Fulton and [captain] Harmanpreet Singh feel that I should work with the team before some of the big tournaments; this one, hopefully, the World Cup [in 2026] and the Olympics [2028] to help the players manage distraction,” he added.
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