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Hyderabad awaits India-Pak hockey final
Hyderabad, Oct 31: India will take on Pakistan today in the hockey final of the Afro-Asian games here today.
Hyderabad, Oct 31: India will take on Pakistan today in the hockey final of the Afro-Asian games here today.
Though India beat Pakistan in the league phase 4-2, the Indian players are aware that they would face a tough contest against their traditional rivals in the final.
Incidentally, in the previous three tournaments featuring India and Pakistan, the team which won during the league phase had to suffer a reverse in the final.
Goalkeeper Devesh Chauhan, India's saviour in the semi-final against Malaysia, knows that the final against Pakistan will the true test of nerves.
On Thursday evening, Chauhan and assistant coach AB Subbiah practiced for an hour at the hockey stadium in Hyderabad.
Though India will have an advantage of playing in front of a home crowd, the Pakistanis too will be equally keyed up for the crucial match.
"Pakistan is a very strong team and we had a good match in the league phase. The next match is once again with Pakistan in the finals. The boys would go all out and I hope we will perform well," said the Indian captain Dilip Tirkey.
The Pakistanis, who were outplayed by India in the league match, say the hosts have an edge. But their coach Tahir Zaman has promised an exciting encounter on Friday evening.
"Both teams are well balanced. India has a good forward line as well as good players in the defence. But I am happy that both have played good hockey so far," said the Pakistani coach Tahir Zaman.
India's worry in the last two matches has been its inability to score off penalty corners. Coach Rajinder Singh's strategy will be to ensure that India has a better conversion rate in the finals.
Bureau Report
Though India beat Pakistan in the league phase 4-2, the Indian players are aware that they would face a tough contest against their traditional rivals in the final.
Incidentally, in the previous three tournaments featuring India and Pakistan, the team which won during the league phase had to suffer a reverse in the final.
Goalkeeper Devesh Chauhan, India's saviour in the semi-final against Malaysia, knows that the final against Pakistan will the true test of nerves.
On Thursday evening, Chauhan and assistant coach AB Subbiah practiced for an hour at the hockey stadium in Hyderabad.
Though India will have an advantage of playing in front of a home crowd, the Pakistanis too will be equally keyed up for the crucial match.
"Pakistan is a very strong team and we had a good match in the league phase. The next match is once again with Pakistan in the finals. The boys would go all out and I hope we will perform well," said the Indian captain Dilip Tirkey.
The Pakistanis, who were outplayed by India in the league match, say the hosts have an edge. But their coach Tahir Zaman has promised an exciting encounter on Friday evening.
"Both teams are well balanced. India has a good forward line as well as good players in the defence. But I am happy that both have played good hockey so far," said the Pakistani coach Tahir Zaman.
India's worry in the last two matches has been its inability to score off penalty corners. Coach Rajinder Singh's strategy will be to ensure that India has a better conversion rate in the finals.
Bureau Report