“Bring Home the Ultimate Honour”: Odisha CM Hails India After Asian Champions Trophy Semi-Final Spot
India’s semi-final spot at the Asian Champions Trophy has earned a message from one of Indian hockey’s biggest backers. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi took to X on Saturday 31 October to congratulate the team and urge them to go all the way.
“Congratulations to our Indian Men’s Hockey Team on securing a place in the semi-finals of the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Punjab 2026. May the Men in Blue carry this confidence forward, rise to every challenge and bring home the ultimate honour,” Majhi wrote, signing off with his #OdishaForHockey and #IndianHockey hashtags.
It’s a fitting voice. Odisha has spent years building itself into Indian hockey’s home base, turning the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar into a world-class arena and hosting the 2023 FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup, the biggest hockey event the country has ever staged. When the state’s chief minister talks about hockey, it carries weight, and his message lands at a good moment for this team.
India booked their semi-final place on Friday night in Jalandhar, beating Japan 4-1 to move to nine points from three games, level with Malaysia but ahead on goal difference. Abhishek scored twice, Harmanpreet added his fifth goal of the tournament, all from penalty corners, and Vishnu Kant finished it off with a solo goal. Sunday’s late game against Malaysia, at 6:30pm PKT, now decides who finishes top of the table, with the semi-finals moving to Mohali on Wednesday 4 November and the medal matches on Thursday 5 November.
Majhi’s message is short, but the subtext is clear enough. Getting to the semi-finals was the minimum for this side. The expectation now is the trophy.
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