China's new head coach to men's team Qin Zhijian explained here on Wednesday that he opted to rest injured star paddler Zhang Jike for the Asian championships team final.
The all-time leading Chinese men's side beat Kim Taek Soo's South Korea in three straight games for their 21st team title in total and 10th in a row at the continental tournament.
Grand Slam winner Zhang, who was forced to pull out of the national trial a month ago due to an ankle injury, had played China's previous two rounds at the Asian champs' team event, but was kept on the bench of Wednesday's final.
"I did it in purpose," said Qin at a post-match press conference.
"I knew he's out of form but insisted to send him up on court during the quarterfinals and semifinals, just to see how bad it could be.
"When it came to the final, however, I thought it's reasonable to rest him in order to better prepare him for the coming singles play, which can be intense," Qin said.
Missing Zhang in the final, the squad still held an overwhelming odds on paper with world No. 1-3 Ma Long, Fan Zhendong and Xu Xin to line up against Jang Woo Jin, Lee Sang Su and Jeong Sang Eun.
"I needed a win, but what I want more is to have a fully recovered Zhang Jike standing on the court of the world championships in Dusseldorf, Germany in one and a half months," he added.
Zhang, 29, is well known for his tenacity throughout a contest, as his former trainer Xiao Zhan said "you can always expect a surprise from him".
"For an injured player, it's important to recover physically and more important to keep believing in himself," said Qin.
"I always want Zhang to have faith in himself, even when his chances on court were hit by some injuries," he added.
