I was always confident of our victory: Saqlain

KARACHI: The chief coach of Pakistan Whites hockey team Mohammad Saqlain on Saturday hailed the national team’s victory against arch-rivals India in the final of the South Asian Games hockey competition.

Pakistan defeated India on Friday to complete the hat-trick of gold medals in South Asian Games — a rare accomplishment.

Saqlain termed good team combination as the main reason for the side’s successful campaign.

“Beating India on their home soil was our biggest achievement. A bitter conflict between the two teams during last year’s Champions Trophy also made the victory more significant,” Saqlain said.

“The main thing for us was to control the tempers as emotions always run high when we play against India. We had told the boys to direct all their anger and energy towards their performance in the match,” he said.

He added that the hard work in the training camp proved very beneficial as all the players did a fantastic job during the games.

The appointment of Saqlain and Rehan Butt as chief coach and coach, respectively, is being considered as a wise step in the hockey circles.

Both the former players themselves had a very good record against India. Their experience also helped the greenshirts tame India and win the final.

The Pakistan team is likely to return to Lahore on Sunday night (tonight). A warm welcome is expected for the winning squad.