In their first Super 4 stage match of the Asia Cup, the Indian men’s hockey team, buoyed by an undefeated pool campaign, will need to step up their game against five-time champions and title holders Korea on Wednesday in Rajgir, Bihar.
After crushing minnows Kazakhstan 15-0 on Monday, the Indians ended Pool A matches with an all-win record, defeating China 4-3 and Japan 3-2.
However, the results barely reflect how India had begun the campaign, barely defeating China and Japan before defeating Kazakhstan, who were in the competition only for the second time.
However, after two tense games, India may rest easy knowing they won.
It will also help that Korea, the most successful team in the tournament, hasn’t played at its best yet after losing to Malaysia in Pool B. The Koreans were expected to win, but they were rudely shocked when Malaysia won 4-1.
Although they have suffered in the afternoon matches due to the intense heat and excessive humidity in Rajgir, one may anticipate that they will improve after Tuesday’s rest day because the Super 4 games begin in the evening.
The attacking line’s performance was the most encouraging, with Abhishek taking center stage with four goals.
Abhishek’s positioning and first-time goals when he got the ball inside the circle were more impressive than the goals.
Another player who shone with his quick dribbling from the flanks and the composure within the ‘D’ was Sukhjeet Singh, who also scored a hat-trick.
As anticipated, Mandeep Singh’s stick-work has been outstanding thus far in the tournament.
Dilpreet Singh, who scored on Monday but missed a sitter, is still the only sour spot in India’s forward line. He needs to get himself together because he has been having trouble in the competition thus far.
Craig Fulton, India’s head coach, was undoubtedly pleased with his strikers’ overall performance.
“Going into the Super 4s you want your strikers connecting and scoring goals,” Fulton said.
Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Sumit, and the youthful Rajinder Singh have all played outstanding leadership roles in India’s midfield.
Under the capable direction of captain Harmanpreet Singh, the back-line, which consists of Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, and Sanjay, has performed better.
After two lackluster performances, India’s first-choice goalie, Krishan Bahadur Pathak, improved his game against Kazakhstan, and Suraj Karkera has had a strong tournament thus far.
However, Fulton is also well aware that comparing the players’ performance to that of a team like Kazakhstan would be ludicrous. He is aware that this is where the actual event begins, and past performance is meaningless.
However, Fulton thinks the team’s confidence will help them advance.
“We are full of confidence now. It was good to spend a lot of time in the final third and that’s what we wanted to get,” he said.
Converting penalty corners is another crucial aspect of the game that Fulton would be happy with.
All four of India’s drag flickers—Harmanpreet, Jugraj Singh, Sanjay, and Rohidas—found the goal from set pieces against Kazakhstan, demonstrating the strength of their lineup. Jugraj actually scored a hat-trick and also displayed strong defense.
However, the Super 4 stage represents a new start for each of the four teams: China, Malaysia, Korea, and India. They will all face one another, and the top two will go to the final on Sunday.
The current Asia Cup serves as a direct qualifying tournament for the World Cup, which Belgium and the Netherlands will jointly host from August 14–30 next year.
Teams:
India: Krishan B Pathak (GK), Suraj Karkera (GK), Sumit, Jarmanpreet Singh, Sanjay, Harmanpreet Singh (C), Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Rajinder Singh, Raj Kumar Pal, Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Mandeep Singh, Shilanand Lakra, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Dilpreet Singh
Korea: Daehan Ang (GK), Jihun Yang, Cheoleon Park, Jinkang Rim, Dain Son, Jungjun Lee (C), Jongsuk Bae, Seyong Oh, Jaewon Sim, Sunghyun Baek, Soung Min Bae, Jaehan Kim (GK), Geonhyo Jin, Hyeonhong Kim, Seungwoo Lee, Min Su Cheon, Yoonho Kong, Hyeseung Lee
