Ipoh, Malaysia : Pakistan will be looking to reverse the tide against India when the arch rivals clash in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament here Wednesday.
"Against India, we want to execute our plans in a better way that we have done so far," says team manager Khawaja Junaid. "We look forward to coming back strongly in this match. The 1-5 loss on Mondayto Australia was a good learning experience. We have got to sort out our shortcomings," he stated.
"As a group, we have missed a lot of chances. We have been conceding a lot of soft goals and that's something we must not repeat in the next game. We want to win tomorrow's match and get our campaign back on track," he added. Pakistan have six points from four matches with games against arch rival India and hosts Malaysia remaining. "Two defeats doesn’t mean end of the tournament, we have a lot toplay for," Junaid said.
Meanwhile, India look to continue their recent domination against Asian Games gold medallists Pakistanwhen arch-rivals clash tomorrow. Defending champions India's hopes of completing a hat-trick will hinge on winning next two games, which now seems essential for advancing to the final after they squandered a two-goal lead to suffer a 2-3 defeat against South Korea in the opening outing.
India, who won Azlan Shah Cup in 2009 and were joint champions with South Korea in 2010, go into Wednesday's match with victories in last four encounters against Pakistan. After the reversal against South Korea, India have defeated top-placed Britain and hosts Malayisa, while match against World champions Australia ended in a 1-1 draw. Pakistan's hopes suffered a jolt despite twin victories as they lost to both Britain and Australia.
"We hope to put up a good show, our team has improved with every outing as the youngsters have gained in confidence," says chief coach Harendra Singh. "These young players have done a wonderful job and their learning process has got a big boost through the experience here."
He said Indian team was focusing on executing its own strategy, and not unduly concerned about the opposition. "We're not treating the match against Pakistan any differently from previous games. I don't think you can term any particular match as a special one. For us each and every encounter is of equal importance," he tried to play down hype that is always generated during an Indo-Pak clash.
Currently placed third in round-robin league standings - behind Britain (nine points from four matches) & Australia (seven points from three games) - India need to win two remaining games against Pakistan & New Zealand if they aspire for another appearance in the final. India maintained an all-winrecord in last year's four matches against Pakistan, and those included preliminary league matches at World Cup in New Delhi & Guangzhou Asian Games. In Asian Games, India suffered a shock defeat against Malaysia in semi final, while Pakistan went on to reclaim the title after two decades.
"We've not allowed Commonwealth Games final and Asian Games semifinals to play on our minds. Similarly, we won't be looking back at last year's matches against Pakistan," said Harendra. "What happened in last year's matches is now history, just as earlier matches in this tournament. Boys are eager to perform well." Harendra, who was brought back as India's coach after resigning in wake of loss to Malaysia in Asian Games semifinal where he was deputy to Spaniard Jose Brasa, said young team had justified his faith in them. "I have confidence in these boys, they have been wonderful," he said.
India will also be looking to avoid jittery situation of second half against Malaysia, when they allowed hosts to dictate the pace of game and lay seize on Indian goal for first 15 minutes in second session. Indian defence managed to hold its ground, as it had done in match against Australia, where India's ability to absorb pressure secured them a draw. PPI
