India to play South Korea on the opening day at the Azlan Shah Cup – Field Hockey Preview
The 20th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup is to take place at the Sultan Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh, Malaysia on May 5.
The tournament includes some of the World’s top field hockey teams including the Number one ranked Australia.
The first day of the tournament features a match between India and South Korea, reminiscent of last year’s final match of the 2010 Azlan Cup that was declared a joint-win between the two teams. This took place due to heavy rains that made it impossible to
conduct the decider match.
Indian Team
This year, the Indian team lacks few of their experienced players that failed to recover from their injuries on time, including the former captain Rajpal Singh and Tushar Khandekar. Moreover, two key defenders Sardara Singh and Sandeep Singh were ruled out
of selection on not intimating Hockey India (HI) about their involvement in a Belgium League, hence not attending the preparatory camps for the Invitational. This shortage of talent was met by introducing new youngsters to play the event. Considering the importance
of winning this year’s Azlan Cup, the team seems under-prepared to complete their hat-trick win this year. They mainly depend on youngsters to show their worth in the Malaysia-based event. It will be significant event for them, as they are scheduled to play
the Olympic qualifiers and Champions Trophy.
Korean Team
Like India, the Korean team also seems to comprise of many young players, with the senior players on the verge of retirement. The team will mainly depend on Kim Yong Bae, You Hyo-Sik and Lee Nam Yong. They are the experienced players and they will have to
coordinate with the youngsters to display an impressive show in the invitational.
Korea is one of the best hockey teams in the Asian continent who captured the Azlan Shah Hockey Cup two times. It clinched the trophy solely in 1996 while sharing it in 2010 with India. They ruled hockey in Asia and won four editions of the Asian Games respectively
in 1986, 1994, 2002 and in 2006. They will have to prove their worth in the first game, if they want to start the contest on a high note.
Head to Head
Both teams look similar in performance. However, the Indian team have a better track record in world events.
India defeated South Korea on September 9, 2007 in the finals of the Asia Cup by five goals, 7-2. Rajpal Singh and Prabhjot Singh were at their best and made the victory possible in the game. In another contest between the two sides occurred on April 24,
2008, as Korea won the match by three goals, 4-1. In the same four-nation tournament, India won the game by three points, 5-3.
South Korea, in another third place play-off game played on May 4, 2008 won the game by a single score, 4-3. Considering the previous track record and current line-ups, India is expected to win the game.
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