Kakamigahara, September 21: Defending champions India will look to continue their dominant start to the Asian Games men's hockey competition when they take on Sri Lanka in their second Pool A match on Tuesday.
India opened their campaign in emphatic fashion, thrashing Indonesia 13-1 on Sunday. The comprehensive victory saw eight Indian players find the net, with forward Dilpreet Singh emerging as the star performer with four field goals.
The Indian attack looked sharp throughout the contest, scoring 10 field goals and repeatedly breaking through the Indonesian defence. Dilpreet, Sukhjeet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Abhishek, Shilanand Lakra and Rajinder Singh combined effectively to create and finish scoring opportunities.
India's penalty-corner specialists
also made their presence felt, with captain Harmanpreet Singh and Jugraj Singh shouldering the responsibility from set pieces. The duo will again be expected to play a key role as India look to build momentum in the tournament.
The Sri Lanka game is expected to provide India with another opportunity to rotate their squad and fine-tune their combinations before facing tougher opposition. Chief coach Craig Fulton will be particularly keen to give his players valuable game time ahead of the crucial Pool A encounters against South Korea and hosts Japan.
While India's attack impressed in the opening game, their defence was hardly tested against Indonesia. Fulton will be aware that this remains an area to monitor as the competition becomes more challenging.
"We are happy with the first game. The boys did well in all four quarters. We had some good phases but definitely can improve," Fulton said after the Indonesia match.
India's bigger challenge will come later in the pool stage, with South Korea scheduled for September 24 and Japan on September 26. The Indian side will aim to use the Sri Lanka match to address any weaknesses and sharpen their preparations for those decisive encounters.
