Dhaka: India will face Pakistan in the semifinal of the ongoing under-18 Asia Cup Hockey, held at Dhaka, Bangladesh. A match which will see the winner go for title clash, and against a country which is not so friend to India if the ongoing international diplomacy is concerned, the situation on field will not be so easy.
Both the teams have appeared previously in title clashes, with India winning the Asia Cup in 2001 while Pakistan in 2009. This edition of Asia cup has brought contrasting results for the two teams- Pakistan has brushed past the opponents in the pool stage with wins like 6-1 against Chinese-Taipei in their opener, to be followed by 6-0 rout of China & 14-0 thumping of Hong Kong. India, on the other hand, has had an inconsistent results however, they lost 4-5 to hosts in the opener and scored an emphatic win (11-0) against Oman.
For Indian team, Forwards Ibungo Singh Konjengbam & Dilpreet Singh have been in great form with four goals to the credit of each. Moving over to other players, Captain Nilam Sanjeep Xess and goalkeeper Pankaj Kumar Rajak have also been good, despite the horrific show of the team in the opener.
The Indian Team’s coach, BJ Kariappa, speaking about the challenge ahead, said, “The traditional rivalry adds a unique flavour to the contest, but we expect that. The boys are focused on the task at hand. Pakistan have been prolific in front of goal, so obviously we will need to tighten up our defensive structure in the game. On the other hand, I don’t think they have had to face an attacking side like ours, with this depth of talent yet, so it will be a challenge for them too.”
India is scheduled to play Pakistan in the second Semifinal on Wednesday at 2:30 PM, IST.