In the upcoming Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament semifinals, all eyes will be on India as they prepare to face Japan on Friday, August 10. Having had an impressive unbeaten streak in the round-robin stage, with four wins and one draw, India naturally emerges as the favourites. Yet, there's a cautious undertone, given the previous 1-1 draw with Japan - the only team they haven't outclassed.
The difference in world rankings between the two is evident, with India holding the fourth spot and Japan at the nineteenth. Nevertheless, India's 3-5 loss to Japan in the 2021 semifinals in Dhaka, despite a dominant 6-0 league-stage win, remains a stark reminder of Japan's unpredictability. Although India boasts of 20 goals in this tournament, their previous match with Japan witnessed several missed opportunities. The challenge now lies in optimizing their penalty corners, having capitalized on just one out of 15 in their prior encounter with Japan.
India's resounding 4-0 victory against arch-rivals Pakistan adds to the momentum. Craig Fulton, emphasizing the importance of consistency throughout the match, said, "We had some good consistency in each quarter (against Pakistan), which we did the same during the Japan game. We also had more penetration into the circle in each quarter than Japan. So, it will be about maintaining consistency and not doing it just one way."
Hardik Singh, India's vice-captain, echoed Fulton's sentiments, highlighting the need for patience in goal execution.
“We expect to carry the same momentum. But, we still need to have more patience inside the box, which is extremely important. Also, we need to set up the tempo of the game. We will be treating them (Japan) as a top team,” Hardik said.
On the other hand, Japan, despite their unconvincing overall performance, entered the semifinals with a better goal difference than Pakistan. Their defensive prowess, particularly against Indian penalty corners, is commendable, although their attacking front has been lackluster.
Preceding the India-Japan faceoff, Malaysia will be up against defending champions South Korea in another anticipated semifinal on Friday. Given Malaysia's formidable form with four victories, they are expected to have an upper hand against Korea.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
'He's not getting a gig in the IPL, didn't get picked up there': Michael Clarke lashes out at selectors for picking Steve Smith in T20Is as opener
PV Sindhu, Satwiksairaj-Chirag handed first-round bye in badminton World Championships 2023
