Dhaka: Two easy wins garnered, a confident India would face their toughest test in the event when they take on arch rivals Pakistan in the much-anticipated clash of the Asia Cup hockey tournament, here Sunday.
Rated as favourites to win the title, the Indians have been impressive so far, beating Japan (5-1) and hosts Bangladesh (7-0) comprehensively in their opening two Pool A matches. On the other hand, after beating Bangladesh in the first game, Pakistan were held to a 2-2 draw by Japan.
With two wins, India are comfortably through to the Super four stage of the tournament. However, the Sjoerd Marijne-coached side would be hoping to finish the pool stages with an all-win record. “Yes, we want to win every game we play. That is what we will aim for when we take on Pakistan next,” Marijne said after the game against Bangladesh.
In the first two games, the Indians have showcased beautiful one-touch hockey and used both flanks to create numerous scoring chances. However, out of the 20 penalty corners they have got, only four have been converted. Skipper Manpreet Singh has been the first to admit that this issue needs to be sorted.
“Yeah, we have not been good in our conversions,” Manpreet told reporters here Saturday. “The good thing, however is that we have been creating lot more chances in the field of play. Hopefully, it will be a combination of both when we take on Pakistan.
History suggests that any Indo-Pak hockey duel is full of not just excitement and drama but also frayed tempers. Pakistan might not be the most potent force in world hockey presently but when it comes to playing against India, the intensity touches a new level.
Of late, India have dominated Pakistan in hockey, the latest being the 6-1 thrashing in a 5th-8th place classification match of the Hero Hockey World League SemiFinals in London in June. That loss dented Pakistan’s hopes of booking a berth at next year’s World Cup in Bhubaneswar and Pakistanis would be desperate for revenge.
The 14th-ranked Pakistan have been blighted by poor management and security concerns in the last couple of years. But with a new management in place, Pakistan have recalled some experienced players in the squad and this could make things better rather than worse.
Squad named for Johor Cup
New Delhi: Hockey India named Saturday an 18-member men’s junior team for the seventh Sultan of Johor Cup which begins in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, October 22. The team will be captained by Vivek Sagar Prasad while Pratap Lakra has been named as the vice-captain. They will face Japan in the tournament opener. The squad: (Goalkeepers): Pankaj Kumar Rajak, Senthamizh Arasu; (Defenders): Suman Beck, Pratap Lakra, Sukhjeet Singh, Varinder Singh, Mandeep Mor, Sanjay; (Midfielders): Harmanjit Singh, Rabichandra Singh Moirangthem, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Vishal Singh, Vishal Antil; (Forwards): Shilanand Lakra, Raushan Kumar, Abhishek, Dilpreet Singh and Maninder Singh.
Press Trust of India
