Hangzhou: Untested in the pool stages, the Indian men’s hockey team would look to guard against complacency against an unpredictable but dangerous South Korea in the semifinal of the Hangzhou Asian Games here Wednesday.
Clear favourites to clinch the gold here which will guarantee a berth to next year’s Paris Olympics, world no.3 India looked menacing in the pool stages, scoring as many as 58 goals and conceding just five.
The Harmanpreet Singh-led side looked impressive from the start and scored goals at will to outplay Uzbekistan 16-0, Singapore 16-1, defending champions Japan 4-2, arch-rivals Pakistan 10-2, and Bangladesh 12-0 in its Pool A matches.
India were in a similar position heading into the semifinals at the 2018 Asian Games but went down 6-7 to Malaysia in shoot-off after the match ended in 2-2 draw.
While India last won the Asian Games gold in 2014 in Incheon, Korea’s last title came way back in 2006 Doha.
India captain Harmanpreet is aware about the job at hand.
“We have started strongly in the tournament and have won all our pool matches, which has given us a lot of confidence going into the final stages of the competition. We will enter into the semifinal with a positive mindset,” the ace drag-flicker said.
“But we are also cautious that we do not allow ourselves to take any opposition lightly and are well-prepared to adapt ourselves against our opposition whenever needed.”
Harmanpreet himself is in scintillating form as he scored as many as 12 goals so far in the tournament.
Initially, the Indians struggled with penalty corners despite earning a handful but as the tournament progressed the likes of Harmanpreet, Varun Kumar and Amit Rohidas got their acts together to improve their conversion rate.
Besides penalty corners, the Indians also found the net consistently from field play as the likes of Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Gurjant Singh and Abhishek combined well upfront.
Young Abhishek has looked impressive in all the matches as he has not only scored goals but combined well with Mandeep to set it up for the latter.
The midfield led by Olympic medal-winning captain Manpreet Singh and comprising Hardik Singh, Nilakanta Sharma looked compact.
But going into the business end of the continental showpiece, the major concern for India’s chief coach Craig Fulton will be the lack of involvement of his defensive line-up in the pool stages.
Barring the match against Japan, the Indian backline was hardly tested and it remains to be seen how it will react and respond when put under pressure.
Indian goalkeepers — veteran PR Sreejesh and Krishan Bahadur Pathak were mere spectators in the pool stages and barring a few instances, they were hardly involved in the games.
The 4-2 scoreline against Japan might look as a close match but contrary to the final result, the Indians dominated the entire proceedings, and a slight blip in the final five minutes cost them the two goals.
But Korea won’t be a cakewalk and the Indians know that very well.
“In a long tournament, it is all about making correct decisions on the field and off the field. We know Korea’s strengths and their defensive capabilities. They are a strong unit and have done exceedingly well in the tournament so far,” Harmanpreet said.
“We have to put our best foot forward to ensure we do not allow them any room to surprise us on the field.”
India’s last few meetings against Korea are a testament to how close the competition has been between the two nations. At the Asian Champions Trophy earlier this year, India had to fight hard to pick up a close 3-2 win.
Last year, at the Asia Cup, India drew 4-4 against Korea, and at the Asian Champions Trophy in 2021, the two sides were tied 2-2 as well.
Since 2013, the two teams have squared off 17 times, in which India have won 8, while 6 have ended in a draw. Korea have won three games.
“Korea have traditionally been a tough opponent for us. But having played them recently has given us an idea of what we can expect in the upcoming game,” chief coach Fulton said.
PTI