China stand in Indias way

India came into this Asia Cup as the defending champions and favourites,riding high on confidence...

India came into this Asia Cup as the defending champions and favourites,riding high on confidence,with the horrors of 2008 firmly behind them. They had also broken a few jinxes in the run-up to this event they stopped faltering in the first five/ last five minutes of games,they tended not to play well and lose and had been especially consistent against weaker opponents.

But having lost their opening match to Pakistan on Sunday,the pressure will be on the team to do everything right if they want to make the final. China had drawn against Pakistan in their opening match,and the short qualifying round Indias group has only three teams in all means even a draw will not suffice for the defending champions.

A few things were evident from their opening game: The Chinese team have based their game on their fitness and stamina. They are strong defensively,and rarely give an inch. They rely on counter-attacks to score. The last time these two teams met in the Asia Cup in 2007,India had managed to escape with a 1-0 win despite dominating proceedings and creating almost a dozen chances. The lapses that almost cost India that match a forward line unable to round off their chances and an inability to cash in on penalty corners still remain a concern for the team. The Indian attack failed to breach the Pakistan defence despite pressing hard and was able to convert only one of their three penalty corners.

Attack-minded

Its a semi-final before the semis for us, coach Harendra Singh said on the eve of the match. But I am confident. We will never make the mistake of taking the Chinese lightly,you cannot forget that they kept us out of the medal bracket for the first time ever at the Asian Games, he added.

The change in Indias fortunes in recent times has come by sticking to an all-out attack mode,which traditionally had been their strength. They have also managed to beef up the defence at the same time. Against China,India are likely to stick to the tried-and-tested strategy.

Even against Pakistan,Indias attacks were more cohesive and according to a plan,and Harendra is unlikely to meddle with a side that,despite the result in the previous match,has combined well.

Sandeep Singh was off colour on Sunday,both in his defending and drag flicks,and is likely to be used in patches,giving Raghunath more time on the field. The midfield was where India lost the game Pakistans Waseem Ahmad is unanimously considered amongst the best halves in the world 8211; but with Prabodh Tirkey likely to play in forward-defence and Gurbaj impressive,Arjun Halappa should see himself manning the left half to help India keep control. The attack has been impressive but they need to convert their half-chances.

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What theyll need to be wary of is Chinas ability to strike on the break the biggest threat will be striker Yu Bo Na and nullifying him will be half the battle won for India.

Korea in semis

On Monday,Korea ensured their semi-final spot defeating Japan 3-2 in what was perhaps the best and most action-packed match of the tournament so far. Lee Nam-yong scored twice for the Koreans after Jin Kyun-min had given them the early lead. They now have four points from two games and with their next game against Bangladesh,will expect to top Pool A with an all-win record.

In another match,Malaysia thrashed Bangladesh 7-1 to strengthen their claim for a semi-final spot. They now only need a draw against Japan on Tuesday to go through while their opponents have to win the match to stay in the title race.