India put up a scintillating display of field hockey against arch-rivals Pakistan on Saturday, thrashing them 4-0 to progress to the final of the Asia Cup taking place in Dhaka.
When both teams clashed during the group stages, Pakistan lost 3-1. However, India coach Sjoerd Marijne was not happy from the performance and wanted me from his team.
After the Saturday’s display, the Dutch coach will be a happy man given India’s performance.
Here are the talking points from India’s splendid show:
Midfielders take centre-stage
Enough has been written about India’s strike force comprising SV Sunil, Akashdeep Singh, Ramandeep Singh and Gurjant Singh, who have left their mark in the Asia Cup with sublime performances when required.
Gurjant was the savior against Korea, while Akashdeep showed his class against Malaysia. The Indian defence too has been doing a decent job with Harmanpreet Singh leading from the front along with Surender Kumar, Dipsan Tirkey and Sardar Singh making sure that the goals are hard to come by for the opposition.
However, against Pakistan, the India midfielders did a brilliant job of keeping the Pakistan forwards at bay early on and also setting the pace of the match as it progressed.
In the first two quarters, India were clearly the more jittery side. They had to deal with two penalty corners in the first quarter and were seen chasing the ball before the half-time whistle blew.
Midfielders Chinglensana Singh, SK Uthappa, Satbir Singh and captain Manpreet Singh then helped India make early inroads in the match. It was Satbir who scored the first goal for India, which allowed them the cushion of comfort to calm their nerves and then play their natural aggressive game.
The midfield has silently been doing a great job in the tournament and, on Sunday, no matter who the opponent, will look to do another wonderful job so that India can lift the trophy for the third time.
India favourites to win
India are favourites to lift the title come Sunday. Their performance throughout the tournament has been brilliant. Except for the 1-1 draw against defending champions Korea, there is no real glitch in this side that can stop them from winning on Sunday unless they self-implode as a unit.
The only letdown has been their penalty-corner conversion. Out of a total of 31 penalty corners throughout the tournament, India have converted only eight of them. Coach Marijne will want to look into that given the next 11 months are crucial for Indian hockey ahead of the World Cup.
The team is playing like a unit and is looking to attack from the word go. The Indians gradually play themselves into the match and then inject their pace to outclass teams.
Harmanpreet has been top class and is the leading scorer of the tournament with seven goals. With goalkeepers Akash Chikte and Suraj Karkera also doing a brilliant job, needless to say India look set of winning the title on Sunday.
Their opponents will either be Malaysia or Korea, depending on the outcome of their clash.
Sardar Singh, the only weak link?
Sardar has been playing for India since 11 years and is known for being one of the finest midfielders the game has ever seen. In the ongoing Asia Cup, the former India captain has been playing as a defender or rather half-back to say the least.
Clearly, Marijne feels that he can see Sardar as an able defender, or is giving the youngsters such as Uthappa and Varun a chance to prove their caliber in the midfield.
However, Marijne has to take a call because the World Hockey League final takes place in December followed by the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and World Cup next year. He needs to have a core unit intact before it is too late.
Sardar does not seem too comfortable in the back and with the likes of Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet and Lalit Upadhyay doing a brilliant job, there is no immediate threat for him. However, with Rupinder Pal Singh itching to make a comeback and other defenders also like Amit Rohidas in their ranks, India has to solve this puzzle quickly.