India, Sept. 10 -- The jubilation among the Indian Men's Hockey Team is as high today as it was at the Bihar Sports University Hockey Stadium in Rajgir. The team lifted the Asia Cup trophy with a 4-1 win over South Korea last week. But the victory not only crowned India as four-time Asian Champions (since 1982), it also sealed a direct berth to the 2026 Hockey World Cup. "Asia Cup jeetna humara bahut bada goal thha kyunki hum World Cup mein qualifiers ke through nahin, par Asian Champions ki tarah jaana chahte thhe," midfielder Manpreet Singh tells us, adding, "Yeh trophy jeet kar World Cup jeetne ka zyada confidence mila hai poori team ko. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, we created history by winning an Olympic medal after 41 years. Now we want to recreate history by winning the World Cup (next year) after 50 years!" Forward Dilpreet Singh, who won Man of the Match at the final, shares, "We really wanted to win the trophy in front of our own crowd, and we are proud to have brought joy to supporters of Indian hockey. Jab homeground mein aap apne logon ke saamne khelte hain, toh bahut boost milta hai." Forward Sukhjeet Singh, who gave India the dream start with a first-minute strike, shares: "Hum bahut confidence ke saath first half break mein gaye thhe. We were leading in the game and could feel we were very close to the trophy and the World Cup qualification. Harmanpreet (Singh, captain) paaji's words helped us stay grounded; he told us, 'Lead ke baare mein mat socho, aage ki game aise khelo jaise score 0-0 par hai'. To never give up and never let the opposition make a comeback in the game has always been the motto of our team. Hum issi approach ke saath aage bhi khelenge aur World Cup mein jayenge."...