Korea, meanwhile, will head into the contest on the back of a mixed run — a 7-0 win against Chinese Taipei, a 1-4 loss to Malaysia, and a 5-1 victory over Bangladesh.
Photo: IANS
The unbeaten Indian men’s hockey team will face Korea in their opening Super 4s clash at the Asia Cup in Rajgir, Bihar on Wednesday. The Harmanpreet Singh-led side topped Pool A after defeating China 4-3, Japan 3-2 and Kazakhstan 15-0.
Korea, meanwhile, will head into the contest on the back of a mixed run — a 7-0 win against Chinese Taipei, a 1-4 loss to Malaysia, and a 5-1 victory over Bangladesh.
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Reflecting on India’s progress, chief coach Craig Fulton said the team is in good shape ahead of the next phase.
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“It is nice to get through the pool phase without any injuries. Especially in a game like the one yesterday (against Kazakhstan) but two good games in the afternoon, in warm conditions, changes when we come back to play at night. The energy is really high in the team. Back-to-back wins, I think, were refreshing for everyone,” he said.
Looking ahead, Fulton added, “Now we are on to the next challenge in the tournament. We will have a fresh approach for this phase. We play Korea first. We scored some really good goals against Kazakhstan, leading the game from the front, which was most important.”
On areas of improvement, the coach pointed to the attacking play.
“We had enough training in the areas we wanted to improve; this game (against Kazakhstan) came at the right time because it gave us a lot more focus on the final third. Players are feeling a bit more confident and have a bit more feel for working together. That was lacking, I think, in the other two games,” Fulton said.
India’s next Super 4s matches will be against Malaysia on September 4 and China on September 6. Malaysia were finalists in the previous Asia Cup edition in Jakarta in 2022. Skipper Harmanpreet Singh said the team is prepared for strong opposition.
“All of them are tough opponents in this tournament. Although we have not played Malaysia and Korea a lot in the past one year, we did get a good game against Malaysia in the practice match ahead of the tournament. We obviously played against China and know what they can bring to the table.
“We are fast learners, which is good. So, when we play a team twice, it is good for us. It’s just about preparing well against Korea. The only focus is one game at a time,” the ace drag-flicker said.
The continental championship will not only crown the best team in Asia but also the winners of Asia Cup 2025 will qualify for the FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium–Netherlands 2026.
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