Having risen like a legend from the ashes, a rejuvenated Indian men’s hockey team would look to do much better when they take on Japan in their first ‘Super 4’ match of the Asia Cup here on Saturday.
Despite facing Indonesia in their final group league game, the young team coached by Sardar Singh should be commended for being able to score 16 goals in just one hour.
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it was more than one India Need to hit the last nail in Pakistan’s coffin till asylum is granted World Cup qualification expectations were concerned.
India and Pakistan both finished on four points each behind Japan in Pool A but the defending champions qualified for the next round due to a better goal difference (+1).
But India’s road was not easy in the first two matches.
Having already qualified for next year’s World Cup as hosts, India fielded an inexperienced team with over 12 debutants for the tournament to gain much-needed experience.
The young boys didn’t get off to a good start to a 1-1 draw with Pakistan before losing 2-5 to Japan, which pushed them to the brink of elimination.
But the Indians were in no mood to bow down without a fight, even as they stood at the point of no return. He staged a dramatic turnaround to keep his hopes of defending the title alive.
He was also assisted by Japan, who defeated Pakistan 3–2 in their final match.
Having achieved their first target, the Indians would like to start afresh in the Super 4 stage where Japan, South Korea and Malaysia are the other three teams. All the teams will face each other with the top two reaching the finals.
After losing to the Japanese in the pool stages, revenge will be high on India’s agenda.
But it would be easier said than done, as the nimble-footed Japanese rely mostly on counter-attacks to surprise their opponents, a move they used to perfection in their last outing against India.
One of the perennial areas of concern for India is the poor percentage of penalty corner conversions as this team does not have a designated drag-flicker like Rupinderpal Singh or Amit Rohidas. In fact, even against the petty little Indonesia, India failed to convert even half of the more than 20 short corners they earned.
The Indian defense, led by Lakra, will have to do their best to stop the fast-paced Japanese, while tying the team together to create opportunities in the midfield.
Dipsan Tirkey, who scored five goals against Indonesia, has been brilliant with the conversion of the penalty corner but it is a cause for concern as India could use just nine of the 22 short corners they earned in their previous game.
Young Uttam Singh needs to be more precise with his finishing inside the opposition circle but Pawan Rajbhar has been the star for India so far. He not only created chances with his strong runs but also scored goals.
Veteran SV Sunil scored two goals against Indonesia but age seemed to have caught up with him as his trademark electrifying runs were missing from his game.
But to make Japan better, the Indians will have to perform more disciplined, which was lacking in the first match between the two teams.
In the other Super 4 stage match, South Korea will take on Malaysia.
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