Mehrab Hasan Samin knows what it feels like to make history. As captain of the Bangladesh Under-21 side, he led the team to their first-ever Junior Hockey World Cup qualification, the single greatest achievement in the country’s hockey history. Now, at senior level, he is writing a new chapter.
Bangladesh finished fifth at the 2026 Men’s Asian Games Hockey Qualifiers in Bangkok, defeating Chinese Taipei 3-2 in the classification match on Friday to close out a tournament that had tested them at every turn. More importantly, they are going to Japan. Samin scored the decisive goal against Chinese Taipei, took home the Man of the Match award, and then went back to his room to call his mother. Times of Bangladesh sat down with him to talk about everything in between.
Did the venue change from Oman to Bangkok affect your preparation or alter your plans going into the tournament?
The venue is totally the organisers’ business. Honestly, from before the venue was even selected, there were already small attacks happening in Oman. Our families would have been worried. So we actually wanted it moved somewhere else.
Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh for the first time in roughly twenty years. What was the mood in the dressing room after that result?
We were upset, but at the end of the day, the team that takes their chances wins. That’s just how it works. We had many chances, maybe we couldn’t convert them. They had one chance, that penalty corner goal, and they took it. We just came here, played one practice match on the 1st, and started the tournament on the 2nd. Sri Lanka, Oman, Uzbekistan, they were all there three or four days earlier, practising. Alhamdulillah, we still qualified. That’s everything.
The heat in Bangkok was extreme. How challenging was it to adapt with so little time?
It was genuinely a very tough time, back home we train at maybe 33 or 34 degrees. But in Bangkok it was 41 or 42 degrees maximum. And the turf, you water one side and the other side dries out before you even finish rolling.
When qualification was suddenly in doubt after the Sri Lanka loss and the Uzbekistan draw, what was going through the squad’s minds?
When we went into the play-offs, our target was that this is our final match, this is our everything in hockey. Yes, the title chance was gone. But the qualification option was still there. So we gave everything to make sure we at least qualified and went home with that.
Did you personally feel the pressure at any point during the tournament?
Honestly, not really, but what I will say is that if we could have played harder practice matches against strong opposition before the tournament, we would have been better prepared. We only played against Police and BKSP. That’s a completely different level of pressure to facing a big team that doesn’t want to lose against you. In 2015, 2016 we used to beat Uzbekistan and Sri Lanka by big margins. But nobody sits around waiting. Everyone updates. It’s 2026 now. Everything is different.
You scored the decisive goal in the fifth-place play-off against Chinese Taipei and won Man of the Match. What were you feeling before and after that game?
From the very first match of the tournament, I noticed the Man of the Match prize sitting near the dugout by the third umpire’s tent. I thought to myself, I’ve won this at junior level, if I could ever touch it for the senior team one day. My only target was for the team to win. Doesn’t matter if I score or someone else scores, alhamdulillah either way. The main thing was the result. I just wanted to get back to my room and call my mother. My brother always wanted this for me most of all. That man of the Match trophy was one of the biggest things I’ve ever received in my life.
Now that Bangladesh have qualified, what do you want from the federation before the Asian Games in Japan?
As soon as possible, I want us all back together in camp, and my one request to the federation, please arrange matches against good teams. So we can take the pressure of big opposition, find our mistakes, and have enough time to correct them before Japan.
