By Vivek Prabhakar Singh

Rajgir (Bihar) [India], August 29 (ANI): Indian hockey legend Aslam Sher Khan said that Pakistan should have come for the ongoing men's Asia Cup in India as there is 'nothing to be afraid of' in the country and India is a 'very good nation with regards to sports and culture'.

The Hockey World Cup-winning player's comments came during the day when India played China in their Asia Cup opener, winning 4-3.

Pakistan and Oman opted out of this year's tournament. Ahead of the tournament, as the pool and schedule were revealed, Hockey India President Dilip Kumar Tirkey clarified that Pakistan did not participate due to security reasons. At the same time, Oman opted out due to personal issues with their government.

Speaking to ANI, Aslam Sher Khan said, 'I think that after Operation Sindoor, India and Pakistan have not started talking on any level. This tournament has started, and I think that they should have come. There was nothing to be afraid of. There is a very good arrangement here. India is a very good country in this regard. In terms of sports, in terms of culture. They appreciate it. And this is 100 per cent true. If Pakistan had come, the public would have enjoyed watching the match. It would have been fun from both sides. Because they play the same brand of hockey as India. Pakistan is a little down these days. And our team is going very well in the rankings at the world level. So in the competition, India is more dominant.'

'But Pakistan should have come. And when the government gave them permission. I mean, the participation was allowed. The ministry was giving the visa. So they lost a good opportunity to come to India. And especially in a state like Bihar,' he added.

Speaking on the tournament being held in Bihar, he said, 'I am very happy. Because in Bihar, the concept of sports is very less popular. And this stadium is very good for facilities and hockey. As the word spreads among the public, interest in hockey will increase. Hockey will have a chance to make significant progress in Bihar.'

Aslam said that the tournament is very important one for all the teams.

'Because qualifying for this means that they will get a direct entry to the World Cup. The Asia Cup, a highly important tournament, is being held in Rajgir, Bihar. And it is being held in such a good environment. It is a good stadium. And I think this is a very commendable thing for Bihar,' he added.

The tournament, a quadrennial event that began in 1982, also serves as a qualification event for the 2026 FIH Men's Hockey World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the Netherlands and Belgium.

The winners of the Asia Cup will earn a direct berth to the World Cup, while the teams finishing from second to sixth will advance to the FIH World Cup Qualifiers, scheduled to be held in February-March 2026.

Harmanpreet is captaining an 18-member Indian men's hockey team in Rajgir. The experienced squad features stalwarts such as Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Mandeep Singh, and Amit Rohidas.

A total of eight teams are contesting for the title and have been divided into two groups of four. After single-headed round-robin matches, the top two from each pool will qualify for the Super 4s, with the top two from that stage contesting the final on September 7.

Pool A: India, Japan, China, Kazakhstan

Pool B: South Korea, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Chinese Taipei. (ANI)