Unbeaten so far in the competition, the Indian women’s hockey team will look to end a 44-year wait for an Asian Games gold medal when it takes on South Korea in the semifinal at the Kawasaki Juko Stadium on Wednesday. A victory will seal its place in the title clash of the continental event. The semifinal represents an important moment in India’s pursuit of history. The team is now just two victories away from securing its second Asian Games women’s hockey gold medal, with its only previous triumph coming way back in 1982. On a five-match winning streak and with a superior world ranking, the in-form Indians will start as firm favourites against the Koreans.
India are ranked eighth in the world while Korea are positioned 15th, and only reigning Olympic silver medallist China are above the Indians at No. 4.
Having marched through Pool B with five wins from as many matches, the Indian team will enter the contest with confidence but will be mindful of the challenge posed by a South Korean side that has also enjoyed a strong campaign.
India topped Pool B with a perfect record, producing an impressive goal-scoring run along the way. They began their campaign with a 19-0 win over Uzbekistan, followed it up with a 17-1 victory against Indonesia and then registered a 20-1 win over Thailand. A hard-fought 3-1 victory over hosts Japan ensured India continued their winning momentum, before they concluded the pool stage with a commanding 7-0 win over Singapore.
South Korea, meanwhile, finished second in Pool A behind China, recording four victories in five matches. Their only defeat came against China, losing 0-3, while South Korea’s biggest victory was an 8-0 result against Bangladesh.
With a place in the final at stake, both teams will now look to raise their intensity after a two-day break following the pool stage.
India’s attacking numbers have been particularly eye-catching, with drag-flick specialist Deepika leading the tournament’s scoring charts with 21 goals from five matches.
Seasoned forward Navneet Kaur is second on the list with 10 goals, including seven from field play. Navneet has also been another option for India during penalty-corner situations, while Deepika combines her drag-flicking responsibilities with her role in the forward line.
Rutuja Dadaso Pisal has contributed seven goals, while Lalremsiami and Ishika have scored six and five respectively, underlining the depth of India’s attacking options.
India have also been well served by their goalkeeping options, with experienced custodian Savita providing leadership and Bichu Devi offering another dependable presence between the posts.
Their performances will be crucial as India prepare to face a South Korean attack that will look to test the Indian defence more consistently than it did during the pool stage.
“For us, training is the way to stay in rhythm… Everybody knows what is expected from them,” said the team’s chief coach, Sjoerd Marijne.
“We have played opponents against whom the challenge was not that big, except Japan. Now it’s a big challenge in the semi-finals of the Asian Games and we are looking forward to playing against South Korea.”
South Korea will look towards midfielder Seungae Park for an attacking spark. She has already scored eight goals in the tournament and will be an important player for India’s defensive unit to keep under control.
The weather here has remained overcast for the past two to three days, to the extent that strong spells of rain forced the men’s match between Pakistan and Oman on Monday to be suspended for 15-20 minutes. However, the forecast for Wednesday is for sunny weather.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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