India look to play to their strength, start as favourites against Japan

RAJGIR:  A confident and unbeaten India will back their strategy of attack and defense at appropriate times when they take on Japan in the semifinal of the women's Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament here Tuesday.

Hosts and defending champions India will undoubtedly enter the semifinal as clear favourites against a side which they trounced 3-0 in their final league game.

World number nine India have registered five wins from as many games, including 3-0 victory over Olympic silver medallist and world number six China.

India's chief coach Harendra Singh also emphasised on the need to continue in the same vein in the tournament.

"We know what are their strengths and weaknesses. For us, this tournament is about working on our strengths and build a formidable style of play for Indian women's hockey team. It's a mixture of attacking and defensive," Harendra said.

"So far the girls have executed really well. I am satisfied with their decision making but semifinal will be a different ball game."

The Indians must guard against complacency, as a single mistake could shatter their dreams of retaining the crown.

The top four sides qualified for the semifinals of the six-team continental tournament. In the other semifinal China will be up against Malaysia.

The Indians might have defeated Japan hands down in the league stage, but Harendra is in no mood to take their opponents lightly in the knock-out match.

"Of course we are expecting a tough fight from Japan because the training game and pool matches are different. It's a semifinal and every team prepares according to their plans.

"We are going to face some resistance from Japan for sure. They have a good side but we have to do our homework. We need to focus on how we want to play rather than focussing on the opponent," he said.

After a cagey start, India quickly found their rhythm, elevating their performance dramatically and excelling in every aspect of the game.

One of the most encouraging aspects of India's success here has been the stellar performance of their backline, led brilliantly by Udita, Sushila Chanu, and Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke.

The Indian defense has been so solid that goalkeepers Savita Punia and Bichu Devi Karibam have hardly been tested in the tournament thus far.

In the first part of the tournament, the Indians were guilty of rushing the play and failing to identify the right options inside the opposition circle, a shortcoming acknowledged by Harendra.

But it seems the hosts have gotten over that bad habit in the last few matches. Not only have they managed to play full press hockey, but they've also displayed improved decision-making inside the circle, resulting in some fine field goals.

Penalty corner conversion was also an area of concern but over the last few games, the likes of Deepika and Manisha Chauhan have risen to the occasion on that front.

India have got a fine striker and a fierce dragflicker in young Deepika. Her exploits in the tournament can be gauged from the fact that she is leading the goal scorers chart with 10 strike which includes four field goals, five penalty corner conversions and one from the spot.

Other Indian forwards like Sharmila Devi, Sangita Kumari Preeti Dubey and Lalaremsiami have also contributed immensely in the home team's campaign so far.

Skipper Salima Tete has been the centre point of the Indian midfield in the company of Neha Goyal, vice-captain Navneet Kaur and Beauty Dung Dung.

The only concern going into the business end of the tournament for chief coach Harendra would be the lack of action of his goalkeepers Savita and Bichu as they hardly were seen in action, given the performance of the defenders.