GUANGZHOU: The story has unfolded very differently this time, and the Indian men's hockey team will now be eyeing a fairytale ending.
Rajpal & Co. have reached a stage here that was denied to them in Doha 2006. Their disappointing fifth-finish four years ago was followed by an even bigger disaster when the country failed to qualify for the Olympics for the first time in its long history. The events led to a churning from which Indian hockey hasn't quite recovered yet.
There is now this wonderful opportunity to erase those memories and move on.
If India win their semifinal against Malaysia here on Tuesday, it will not just take them to the gold-medal match but also to one step away from sealing a berth in the 2012 London Olympics. FIH, the game's world body, has reserved a direct entry for the champions of the Asian Games and India are within sniffing distance.
But, then, there is still so much to do if that magical moment is to reached.
For one, the Indians need to sort out a few problems in the defence and will be hoping that their forward-line, which was a pale shadow of itself in the Pool B matches against Pakistan and Japan, come back to form against bogey team Malaysia on Tuesday. The semifinal is scheduled for 2.30pm IST.
India, of course, will be elated with the superb form of penalty-corner specialist Sandeep Singh, who has 10 goals from his drag-flicks. The worrying point is that his skills as a defender are as raw as ever and that has brought added pressure on Sardar Singh and Vikram Pillay.
While Pillay wasn't consistent against Pakistan. Sardar held fort admirably but his extended role in defence is bound to have a say on the midfield, which has been suffering from lack of inspiration. That may prove a weak spot against Malaysia, who always seem to reserve their best for India.
The head-to-head this year is 1-1 with India defeating Malaysia 3-2 in the Delhi Commonwealth Games, but losing 2-5 in the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament at Ipoh.
Korea, gunning for a hat-trick of Asian Games hockey titles, take on Pakistan in the first semifinal.
Read more: Asiad hockey: Olympics on mind as India brace for semis - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/16th-asian-games-2010/india-news/Asiad-hockey-Olympics-on-mind-as-India-brace-for-semis/articleshow/6972355.cms#ixzz164p2IuQb
Rajpal & Co. have reached a stage here that was denied to them in Doha 2006. Their disappointing fifth-finish four years ago was followed by an even bigger disaster when the country failed to qualify for the Olympics for the first time in its long history. The events led to a churning from which Indian hockey hasn't quite recovered yet.
There is now this wonderful opportunity to erase those memories and move on.
If India win their semifinal against Malaysia here on Tuesday, it will not just take them to the gold-medal match but also to one step away from sealing a berth in the 2012 London Olympics. FIH, the game's world body, has reserved a direct entry for the champions of the Asian Games and India are within sniffing distance.
But, then, there is still so much to do if that magical moment is to reached.
For one, the Indians need to sort out a few problems in the defence and will be hoping that their forward-line, which was a pale shadow of itself in the Pool B matches against Pakistan and Japan, come back to form against bogey team Malaysia on Tuesday. The semifinal is scheduled for 2.30pm IST.
India, of course, will be elated with the superb form of penalty-corner specialist Sandeep Singh, who has 10 goals from his drag-flicks. The worrying point is that his skills as a defender are as raw as ever and that has brought added pressure on Sardar Singh and Vikram Pillay.
While Pillay wasn't consistent against Pakistan. Sardar held fort admirably but his extended role in defence is bound to have a say on the midfield, which has been suffering from lack of inspiration. That may prove a weak spot against Malaysia, who always seem to reserve their best for India.
The head-to-head this year is 1-1 with India defeating Malaysia 3-2 in the Delhi Commonwealth Games, but losing 2-5 in the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament at Ipoh.
Korea, gunning for a hat-trick of Asian Games hockey titles, take on Pakistan in the first semifinal.
Read more: Asiad hockey: Olympics on mind as India brace for semis - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/16th-asian-games-2010/india-news/Asiad-hockey-Olympics-on-mind-as-India-brace-for-semis/articleshow/6972355.cms#ixzz164p2IuQb
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