Kuantan: Starting with a rousing win over Japan in their opening outing of the fourth Asian Champions Trophy (ACT), India are looking for variations beyond ace shooter Rupinder Pal Singh’s penalty corner flicks when they take on South Korea here Saturday.
Bracing for tougher matches against former Asian champions South Korea and arch sub-continental hockey rivals Pakistan over the next two days, the Indians are pleased with the goal-scoring prowess exhibited in the 10-2 win over Japan.
“It wasn’t that we were only looking for goals from Rupinder yesterday (Thursday),” said coach Roelant Oltmans here Friday. “We tried some variations also, but could not match Rupinder’s precise shooting.
“We have some ideas for future games and they go beyond Rupinder’s flicks. Yesterday, the ball was coming slow for Jasjit (Kullar), but we still tried some variations,” added the coach.
There was a heavy downpour ahead of the Indian match against Japan Thursday evening, which even interrupted the previous match between hosts Malaysia and Pakistan.
The 10 goals against Japan were India’s highest since they scored nine against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup three years ago. “I was here with the Indian team when they scored nine against Bangladesh and eight against Oman three years ago,” informed Oltmans. “Japan are a much higher-ranked team than those two rivals, so I am quite pleased.”
Oltmans said India have come here with the intent of showcasing their goal-scoring prowess. “We need to see the players perform in the field. We’ve got a good start and look forward to a fine show in the next two games against South Korea and Pakistan,” he asserted.
“Every opponent is the same and we will play our usual attacking game. Right now, we are focused on the match against South Korea after which we will prepare for the game against Pakistan,” added Oltmans.
Press Trust of India
