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Follow the LIVE commentary of the match here - Asia Cup Hockey 2013 Finals – India vs South Korea
A confident India, who are unbeaten in the tournament, will face defending champions South Korea in the final of the ninth Asia Cup hockey tournament at the Sultan Azlan Shah Stadium, Malaysia on Sunday.
India’s win against Malaysia in the semifinal on Friday has ‘virtually’ earned them a place in the World Cup, but hasn’t confirmed their spot yet.
Asia Cup winners are guaranteed a place in the World Cup, and India would want to be that team and avoid the wait for the favourable results of Oceania championship in case they lose to South Korea in the title clash.
In any case, a third Asia Cup trophy is big enough incentive itself rather than thinking about the extra benefits that come with it.
At the start of this tournament, India’s defence was its weakness. But so far it has managed to hold its own and has contributed to the unbeaten four-match run, including 2-0 wins against South Korea in the league phase and against Malaysia in the semifinal.
The heroes of this turnaround in the backline are defenders VR Raghunath and Rupinder Pal Singh, led by goalkeeper PR Sreejesh. Sreejesh’s contribution has been immense to India’s success, particularly in the league game against Korea where he thwarted a number of certain goal scoring opportunities.
Opponents have been unable to breach India’s defence, mainly due to Raghunath and Rupinder, who have not only teamed up well to prevent attacks but on occasions have helped out their team-mates with overlapping runs. Add to that their expertise in penalty corners which has made them indispensable in the team.
Riding on a four-match winning run, India seem prepared to beat South Korea for their third Asia Cup trophy and seal a place in the 2014 World Cup.
Even the young and inexperienced forward-line has more than made up for the absence of SV Sunil, Danish Mujtaba and Gurvinder Singh Chandi who are missing because of injury. Mandeep, who has scored five goals so far, has led the forwards well along with Malak Singh, SK Uthappa and debutants Ramandeep Singh and Nithin Thimmaiah.
On the other hand, Koreans are looking to avenge their defeat at the hands of India in the league stage and in particular will plan around on how to nullify Sardar Singh‘s influence on the midfield.
The skipper will once again be at the heart of India’s attacks and will be prepared to frustrate the Koreans with counter-attacks, something which the defending champions themselves thrive on.
India finished a disappointing fifth in the last Asia Cup in 2009 and will want to put matters straight 0this time around. But to win their third title, Roelant Oltmans’s boys will have to pull out all tricks against the wily Koreans.
The match starts at 5:30 pm IST.
