Chennai: After coming back from a goal down to hold reigning Asian Games champion Japan to a hard-fought draw, the Indian men’s hockey team faces another tough opponent in Malaysia in a key match in the six-team league in the Asian Champions Trophy here on Sunday.
As the event enters the third round of thrilling group-stage matches, all eyes will be on the clash between the formidable Indian men’s team, which needs to win this match to maintain its chances of advancing to the next stage.
The hosts had made an impressive start by winning their opening game against China 7-2 but failed to make the most of their chances against Japan and had to settle for a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Japan in their second encounter played on Friday.
India’s dominant performance against China showcased their attacking flair and goal-scoring ability, leaving spectators in awe of their offensive capabilities. However, in the second match against Japan, despite creating numerous scoring opportunities, the Indian team faced a resilient Japanese defense and had to settle for a draw.
The India team, currently placed second on the points table, will undoubtedly analyse their performance to identify areas of improvement and come back even stronger in the upcoming match against current table toppers Malaysia.
Speaking ahead of their next match, the Indian men’s hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh said, “We know what we need to do in our next game against Malaysia. Our focus is on capitalising on the areas that led to our successful goals in the opening game against China. Additionally, we’re eager to try something new in our upcoming match.”
India’s head coach, Craig Fulton said the team will take lessons from the game against Japan and make necessary improvements in their upcoming games.
“We wanted to win against Japan and had enough chances. It’s not a nice feeling, but we have got to get better and be ready for the next game,” Fulton said during the post-match press conference on Friday.
“It’s every coach’s concern if you are not converting your chances, whether corners or field goals. So, you always try to work out ‘why?’ and try to find a solution for that and combinations of players together.”
“However, the fact that we are winning a lot of corners is good. We also had a few shots. So, it’s not that we are not playing in our system. We are playing the way we want to play, and even against Japan, we had two-three really good counters. We are one phase away from finishing the way we want to,” he was quoted as saying in a release on Saturday.
Malaysia are currently on top of the points table with two wins in as many games. They defeated Pakistan 3-1 in their opening game, while in the second match, they came from behind to beat China 5-1.
Moreover, in the previous editions of the tournament, Malaysia have proven to be a tough nut to crack, and India are well aware of the challenges that await them on the field, hence the hosts will aim to be fully prepared for the clash on Sunday.
–IANS