Bhubaneswar, Oct. 2 -- Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey congratulated the Indian men's hockey team on reaching the Asian Games 2026 final after defeating the archrivals Pakistan in a close encounter on Thursday and extended his best wishes to both the men's and women's teams, who are eyeing direct qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

Speaking to ANI after India's thrilling 4-3 semifinal win over Pakistan, Tirkey praised the team's fighting spirit and backed both sides to finish their Asian Games campaigns with gold medals.

"It was a very interesting match between the two sides. India established a 3-1 lead as early as the first half, though the score later levelled at 3-3. In the dying seconds, a fourth goal was scored to...