Unbeaten so far in the tournament, a determined Indian women's hockey team will look to continue their impressive run when they play against South Korea in their first Super 4 stage match of the Asia Cup here on Wednesday.
India started their Asia Cup campaign with a bang, thrashing Thailand 11-0, before settling for a 2-2 draw against South Korea. The Indians then mauled Singapore 12-0 in their last match to top Pool B ahead of Japan on the basis of goal difference.
India will look to carry forward the momentum as they bid to win the title and qualify for next year's World Cup to be held in Belgium and the Netherlands. World No. 10 India will start as favourites against Japan, ranked 12th in the FIH chart. After South Korea, India will take on title contenders China on Thursday before facing Japan on Saturday.
Forwards Navneet Kaur and Mumtaz Khan have been in stellar form, scoring five goals each in the pool stage, and they are expected to continue their good form as the team battles for a spot in the final.
Navneet, Mumtaz and Lalremsiami were simply uncontrollable against Singapore as they utilised the chances that came their way. Navneet and Mumtaz dazzled with a hat-trick each in the 12-0 thrashing of Singapore.
The Super 4 stage will see India, China, Japan and South Korea play against each other once. The top two sides will qualify for the final, while the other two will play for 3rd/4th place.
India entered the Super 4 stage on the back of a strong momentum, while South Korea registered two wins and a loss in their pool stage. Significantly, in the last five meetings between the two teams, India have won three times and Korea once. One match ended in a draw. India, thus, will have the psychological edge.
India coach Harendra Singh is happy with his side's performance in the pool stage. "We are pleased with the way the team has started the tournament. The players have shown good intent, maintained discipline and capitalised on attacking opportunities," he said.
"The pool stage gave us a good platform to build momentum and test ourselves against different styles of play. However, the Super 4s stage will be a different challenge altogether as we face strong opponents like Korea, China, and Japan," he said, adding that the team's focus will be on sticking to its structure, defensive sharpness and converting chances.
Harendra said that in this stage, there is little room for error, so consistency and composure will be the key. "The players are motivated, they understand the responsibility of wearing the Indian jersey, and they are eager to continue the momentum. If we play to our potential and trust our process, I am confident we can achieve the results we are aiming for," he said.
India's biggest threat remains World No. 4 China, whom they will face for the first time in the Super 4 stage and possibly in the final. Harendra's biggest task would be to plot a plan to get the better of the Chinese, a strong side in women's world hockey.
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