Aggressive India face Malaysia

JAKARTA: Captain PR Sreejesh has been the most consistent man in the Indian hockey side. He not only mans the goal with grit and determination but also keeps the boys motivated. Time and again this has proved worthy for India.

So far, Sreejesh has conceded just three goals in five matches here. He needs to excel once again on Thursday when defending champions India take on a spirited Malaysia in the semi-final.

Given India’s winning record of 70 out of 101 matches against Malaysia, Sreejesh’s team starts favourites. In their last meeting, India won 2-1 against a new-look Malaysian side at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games a couple of months back.

India are on a roll at the Asian Games, netting 76 goals against five teams, including a record 26 against Hong Kong. “Every game is important to us and we prepare ourselves that way. I always ask my boys to play their natural game and that too according to the situation. We have done our homework well and are ready to take up the challenge,” said team’s chief coach Harendra Singh, who was handed the team’s reins after India’s loss to England in the bronze-medal match at the Commonwealth Games this year.

“We must continue the same aggressive approach we have shown in our attack from the very first match, but we must be doubly cautious in our defending and ensure we don’t give away penalty corners which will be critical,” Sreejesh said.

Sreejesh however warned it won’t be easy against Malaysia with an experienced S Kumar manning their goal. “How we convert the opportunities would be most important,” he said.

Pakistan face Japan in the day’s other semi-final.