India aim for a place in final

A victory against Malaysia is essential for India to make it to the title clash against Argentina. But a draw will help Pakistan reach the final on the basis of a better goal difference. India would be brimming with confidence having defeated three Beijing-bound teams in a row, but they have to focus hard on containing the fast-moving Malaysians if they want to win the crucial game.

“The Malaysians are faster on their feet and quicker in movements. Our prospects therefore would depend on who would control the tempo of the game,” Indian coach AK Bansal said. “We have defeated three Beijing-bound teams (Canada, Belgium and Pakistan). Theirs (Malaysia) is a senior team playing at home. But my boys have tasted success; they won’t let go the opportunity easily,” he said. Bansal feels the Malaysians were good at penalty corner conversion and India must tighten their short corner defence to ward off that danger. Malaysia have been tough opponents for India over the years. Last year in the same tournament, India had lost to them in the semi-final 0-1 to miss the title clash. But this time, the hosts are languishing at the bottom of the table after losing their last three matches.

Malaysians dangerous at home

The Indian coach expressed happiness that all players were fit. “Now, my difficulty is to locate two players whom I can rest,” he wondered. On why V Raghunath was not being utilised, Bansal said, “How can I have three drag-flickers on the field? Both Sandeep Singh and Diwakar Ram select themselves on merit. I really face problems in making choices. All the 18 players are in good nick.”

Sounding a word of caution, manager Pargat Singh said the Indian midfield should get its act together against the hosts. “My concern is the midfield. We easily cave in and offer much leeway to the attackers due to weak midfield. Unless the players understand this, things can go wrong against a team like Malaysia,” he said.