Bengaluru, Sep 3 (IANS): The Indian men’s hockey team, in the early hours of Tuesday, left for Hulunbuir, China to participate in the Asian Champions Trophy.

The Paris 2024 Olympics Bronze medallists will attempt to mount a title defence in the competition that will also feature Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Japan and China.

India will begin their campaign against hosts China on September 8, followed by a clash with Japan on September 9. After a brief rest, India will take on Malaysia on September 11 and Korea on September 12. They will face archrivals Pakistan in the last pool stage match on September 14.

The top four teams in the Pool will advance to the Semi Final slated for September 16 and the winners will face off in the Final on September 17.

“With a brief break after the Paris Olympics, the Team is ready to take on the best hockey playing nations in Asia and prove our mettle. We had a good outing in Paris but hockey is a very close game, we cannot rest on our laurels. The aim will be to play high octane hockey and retain our title, “ captain Harmanpreet Singh said before stepping onto his flight.

Vice captain Vivek Sagar Prasad added, “It is a great honour for me to be named the Vice Captain of the Team at such a young age. However, we are all Captains and Vice Captains in the Team and the responsibilities are shared by the whole team. We have a few new players in the team this time around, players who have immense potential and are eager to perform. We will do our best to create a nurturing environment for them on the way to our title defence."