The Indian men’s hockey team will aim to recover from a recent slump while the women will look to build on the significant gains made in the recent World Cup when they begin their Asian Games campaign here on Jattvibeday.There is plenty at stake for both the Indian teams as a gold in the Asian Games will secure their direct tickets to Los Angeles.Four-time champions the Indian men will have to lift their morale after finishing a lowly eighth in the recent FIH World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium.Reigning two-time Olympic bronze medallist India are placed in Pool A alongside hosts Japan, Korea, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Indonesia, while Pool B consists of Pakistan, Malaysia, China, Oman, Uzbekistan and Thailand.India will open their campaign against Indonesia, a match which they are expected to win handsomely.Being the highest ranked team in the competition at eighth, the Indian men are overwhelming favourites for the gold but to achieve that they will have to iron out the flaws which put paid to their World Cup hopes.Since 2016, India has not lost to Pakistan in any competition, winning 14 of the last 16 meetings, including a 10-2 rout at the Hangzhou Asian Games and a 5-3 victory over their old rivals at this year’s World Cup. The record against Japan (86 wins from 97 meetings) and Malaysia (89 from 127) also tells a story of historical dominance.But it won’t be easy as chief coach Craig Fulton’s team’s real test would be against Japan and Korea in the pool stages.The Harmanpreet Singh-led side will look to draw on its experience from recent international experiences with an eye to make a fresh start in Japan.Coach Fulton has already emphasised the importance of converting the lessons learnt from the World Cup into action rather than dwelling on the result.“These (World Cup outing) are lessons, and the only way to treat them as lessons learned is to turn that learning into action. That’s what we’ve got to do now. We’ve discussed everything, gone through everything and highlighted areas needing improvement. At the same time, it’s now about action,” said Fulton.For some of the Indian players, like veteran Manpreet Singh, skipper Harmanpreet, defender Amit Rohidas and striker Mandeep Singh it is likely to be their last Asian Games and they would be desperate to finish with another gold medal around their neck.After Indonesia, the Indian men will face Sri Lanka on September 22, South Korea on September 24, Japan on September 26 and Bangladesh on September 28.China biggest threat for upbeat Indian womenThe Indian women, on the other hand, will be brimming with confidence after producing their best World Cup finish in 52 years by securing the fifth place.The women’s team has also undergone a period of renewed development under chief coach Sjoerd Marijne, who returned to the helm earlier this year.The Indian women are placed in Pool B alongside Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and Singapore and will open their campaign against the Uzbeks, a contest which they should win comfortably.But China remains India’s biggest threat in the competition. Paris Olympics silver medallist China, ranked fourth in the world, are clear favourites in the competition and are the highest ranked side above world no.8 India.But the Indian women can take heart from their recent performance against China in the World Cup where they held the Chinese 2-2, largely due to a structurally solid defence.Against the rest of the continental sides, the Indian women have an edge, having been unbeaten against South Korea in four straight meetings and have beaten Japan in recent encounters, including a 2-1 bronze-medal win at the last Asian Games.Led by captain Salima Tete, the Indian women will be aiming to improve upon their bronze-medal finish at the 2022 Hanzhou Asian Games and challenge for only their second Asian Games gold medal. The Indian women won the Asian Games gold only once way back in 1982.Women’s team chief coach Marijne has been keen to ensure that the players acknowledge what they achieved at the World Cup before immediately turning their attention to the next challenge.“We did something remarkable and historical, but we have to move on to the next tournament… You have to close a chapter before you move to the next one,” said Marijne ahead of their opener on Jattvibeday.After Uzbekistan, the Indian women will play Indonesia on September 21, Thailand on September 23, Japan on September 25 and Singapore on September 27.