KOLKATA: The year didn’t start too well for the Indian men’s hockey team. They struggled during the FIH Pro League and were even handed an 8-0 hammering by Argentina in Rourkela. Then came the World Cup, which brought further disappointment as India finished eighth.Things eventually turned around at the Asian Games, where India clinched the gold medal and secured direct qualification for the Los Angeles Olympics. On Thursday, they followed that up by winning a third successive Asian Champions Trophy title in Mohali.But while the trophy offered another reason to celebrate, the focus has already shifted to building a fresh core group for the next Olympic cycle. Chief selector RP Singh said on Thursday that the process will begin with India’s upcoming tour to New Zealand, where the team will play a three-match Test series commemorating the 100-year anniversary of the 1926 Indian Army hockey tour of New Zealand.The squad will primarily comprise players from the India A setup along with those who have represented the country at junior international events, including Junior World Cups and other major tournaments, but have not yet received sustained opportunities at the senior level.While the tour will allow young players to stake a claim for a place in the Olympic cycle leading up to Los Angeles 2028, it will also give the regulars a much-needed break.Several senior players have been playing almost continuously since the Hockey India League, something coach Craig Fulton highlighted midway through the Asian Champions Trophy.Even vice-captain Hardik Singh admitted the schedule had taken its toll.“To be honest, I have never seen a team play three major tournaments in such a short period of time. It has been exhausting, both physically and mentally,” Hardik said.“We know what our responsibilities are and we have prepared hard for these moments. However, I feel scheduling is something that also needs to be looked at because players are human beings. We do get fatigued physically and mentally.”The congested calendar has already resulted in a handful of injuries.“We lost a couple of players because of the demands of playing continuously. Players like Manpreet and Mandeep, for example, have been playing non-stop, and managing that workload is very challenging,” assistant coach Shivendra Singh said.That was one of the reasons why the coaching staff placed strong emphasis on recovery, carefully managing workloads while ensuring players remained physically and mentally prepared for yet another major tournament.In the end, the approach paid off as India lifted the ACT title for a third consecutive time, though the disappointment of the World Cup still lingers.“We really wanted to do well at the World Cup and that didn’t happen. But I’m glad we’ve qualified for Los Angeles and we’ve won at home in the ACT,” Fulton said.The coach is already looking forward to the matches against New Zealand to be held on Nov 19, 21 & 22, while senior midfielder Manpreet Singh has his sights set on the Pro League in February.“Pro League will give us a lot of high-quality matches, and we need to use those opportunities to become a better team,” said India’s most-capped player.“We have performed well against Asian teams, but we need to keep improving against the top European sides. The objective is to ensure that by the time we reach the Olympics, there is no area of our game that has been left unaddressed.”The title in Mohali may have offered redemption after a difficult year, but for India, it is less a culmination than the start of a new cycle, with fresh faces set to be blooded in with tougher European tests awaiting on the road to Los Angeles 2028.