India to meet Hong Kong in opener

The Indian men’s hockey team, which won silver at the Commonwealth Games, will meet Hong Kong on November 15 in its opening match in the Guangzhou Asian Games.

India will take on Bangladesh (November 17), Pakistan (November 20) and Japan (November 21) in its other Pool B matches.

Pool A comprises defending champion Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Oman and host China.

The semifinals and classification play-offs will be held on November 23 and the medal matches on November 25.

The Indian women’s team will play Malaysia in its opening fixture on November 13. India will face Japan (November 16), Korea (November 17), Thailand (November 19), Kazakhstan (November 20) and China (November 22) to complete its round robin engagements. All the classification and the medal fixtures are scheduled on November 24. In the Doha Asian Games, the men’s side had finished fifth, while the women’s team won the bronze. — Principal Correspondent