Confident India eye revenge against Japan in Super 4 match of Asia Cup Hockey

Having risen like a proverbial phoenix from the ashes a rejuvenated Indian mens hockey team would like to put up a muchimproved performance when it takes on Japan in its first Super 4 match of the Asia Cup here on SaturdayDespite facing a belowpar Indonesia in its final group league game the young side coached by Sardar Singh must be lauded for being able to score a whopping 16 goals in just an hourIt was one more than what India required to put a final nail in Pakistans coffin as far as harbouring World Cup qualification hopes were concerned Both India and Pakistan finished on four points each in Pool A behind Japan but the defending champions qualified for the next round due to better goal difference 1But it was not a smooth sailing for India in the first two matchesHaving already qualified for next years World Cup by virtue of being the hosts India fielded an inexperienced team with as many as 12 debutants for the tournament to gain muchneeded experienceThe young boys did not have the best of starts drawing 11 with Pakistan before losing 25 to Japan which pushed them on the brink of eliminationBut the Indians were in no mood to bow out without a fight even as they stood at the point of no return They staged a dramatic turnaround to keep alive their hopes of title defenceThey were also aided by Japan who beat Pakistan 32 in their final match Their first goal achieved the Indians would like to start afresh in the Super 4 stage where Japan South Korea and Malaysia are the other three teams All the teams will play each other with the top two progressing to the finalRevenge would be high on Indias agenda having lost to the Japanese in the pool stagesBut it would be easier said than done as the nimblefooted Japanese rely mostly on counter attacks to surprise their opponents a ploy they used to perfection against India in their last outingOne of the perennial areas of concern for India is poor percentage of penalty corner conversions as this team doesnt have a designated dragflicker like Rupinderpal Singh or Amit Rohidas In fact even against minnows Indonesia India failed to convert even half of the 20 plus short corners that they earnedThe Indian defence led by Lakra will have to be at its best to stop the speedy Japanese while the midfield will have to bind the team together to create chances upfrontDipsan Tirkey who scored five goals against Indonesia has been brilliant with penalty corner conversions but it is an area of concern as India could utilise just nine out of the 22 short corners they earned in their last gameYoung Uttam Singh needs to be more accurate with his finishing inside the opposition circle but Pawan Rajbhar has the been star for India so far He not only created chances with his strong runs but also scored goalsVeteran SV Sunil scored two goals against Indonesia but age seemed to have caught up with him as his trademark electrifying runs down the flanks are missing from his gameBut to get the better of Japan the Indians will have to produce a more disciplined performance which was lacking in the first encounter between the two teamsIn other Super 4 stage match South Korea will take on MalaysiaThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever