Seeking to cool the nerves of his players, Sreejesh says the Indian team hase set sights on winning the Asian Champions Trophy title and the preliminary league fixture against Pakistan is just one of those games.
"Pakistan is just one of the teams in the tournament. We are right now looking for three points from Saturday's match against South Korea," said Sreejesh as prepares for two key matches against former Asian champions South Korea and sub-continental hockey rivals Pakistan on successive days.
However, Sreejesh had made a contrasting comment following the Uri terror attack in September.
"India-Pakistan match brings a lot of excitement to the table. We want to give hundred per cent. We don't want to disappoint our soldiers by losing, especially when they sacrifice their lives in the exchange of fire at the borders," Sreejesh said.
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India had won the inaugural Asian Champions Trophy in 2011 by defeating Pakistan in the final. Pakistan reversed the result in the title encounter the following year.
Pakistan retained the title by defeating Japan in the final in 2013, when India sent their under-21 team and finished fifth. For the next two years, this tournament was scrapped from the international fixtures.
Sreejesh played a key role when India dethroned Pakistan as the Asian Games hockey champions at Incheon in 2014. That loss to India in the Asian Games final led to Pakistan's failure to qualify for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
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