India vs Korea (Photo by Hockey India)
MOHALI: The Indian men’s hockey team has carried its winning momentum from the Asian Games into the Asian Champions Trophy, winning all five of its group matches, scoring 34 goals and conceding just five to finish at the top of the standings. When the two sides met in their final group-stage match on Monday, India registered a resounding 8-0 victory. Because they’re the only ones that have played the World Cup, Asian Games and this tournament,” said the India head coach, i think all the Asian teams are feeling it.
We played some good hockey, but now we have to start all over again,” Fulton said. We’ll keep assessing that,” the coach said. However, Fulton expects the semifinal to be a completely different contest and wants his side to approach it with a fresh mindset. “Tonight was a completely different game. A key question ahead of the semifinal is whether the India coach will continue to rotate his squad. Fulton has regularly shuffled his lineup throughout the tournament in a bid to manage player workload after an exhausting season. But despite the heavy schedule, Fulton has been pleased with the team’s performances. “We wanted to bring a couple of youngsters through and try a few players in different positions. Vishu has done well, Angad has done well, and with one or two injuries in the squad, it’s been good for them to get more game time.
It has been a thoroughly dominant showing by Craig Fulton’s men, who will now take on South Korea in the semifinal on Wednesday, as the tournament shifts from Jalandhar to the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Mohali.