Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, May 6: Back to winning ways, a confident Indian men’s hockey team would look to seal the four-match Test series against Japan when they lock horns in the third game at the Kalinga Stadium here Thursday. Courtesy the 2-0 win Tuesday, India are leading the series 1-0. The first match was drawn.
Skipper Sardar Singh, who stole the show in the midfield Tuesday, will look to continue his impressive work. Under the watchful eyes of chief coach Paul van Ass, Indian players are working on a variety of strategies and team combinations. Some changes to the squad are on the cards.
Local hero and hard-working Birendra Lakra as usual is leading the fragile Indian backline but what could be a concern for Van Ass is the form of his drag-flick experts VR Raghunath and Rupinder Pal Singh. “We played better in the second match but failed to utilise many opportunities. We are now in process of rectifying our mistakes. In tomorrow’s (Thursday) match, we need to create more opportunities and convert the penalty corners into goals,” said Van Ass here Wednesday.
Japan, on the other hand, will have to plan some out-of-the-box strategies to give a tough competition to the home team. They haven’t converted a single penalty corner this series and they need improvement on that front.
“India were better than us in the second match and this was the only reason we lost. We did make many mistakes and lost vital opportunities. We need to change our game plan for Thursday’s match,” Japan coach Keonwook Kang stated.
