India tumbled to defeat by three goals to nil against Japan with a display that can only be described as innocuous in the women’s hockey competition at the Asian Games here on Tuesday.
Nothing went right for the squad that looked totally out of tune with the occasion. India suffered a setback within a minute when seasoned defender Benita Toppo twisted her knee and had to be stretchered out. This bad omen was enough to further drag the spirits down.
Coach Sandeep Somesh minced no words after the match. He termed the whole exercise as a result of “lack of discipline to have four cards shown against.” Somesh agreed to the presence of the fatigue factor after the World Cup and the CWG in quick succession.
With matches against defending champion China and former holder Korea remaining, India’s chances of reaching the final, or even a possible podium finish, are best to left to conjecture.
A weakened defensive wall in the absence of Benita rendered the work of the Japan’s frontline easier. The first goal by Miyuki Nagagawa bore testimony to this. The unmarked Japanese wove through and unleashed a perfect backhander onto the boards.
Insipid attacks
None of the Indian attacks — and they were very limited — carried the stamp of adeptness or authority. Jasjeet Handa and Subadra Pradhan strove hard to inject an element of verve into the attack but all went in vain. Surinder Kaur and Saba Anjum’s effort to gain a bit of rhythm was not enough.
Before half-time Japan struck the second when Kaori Chiba tapped in a cross from Otsuka.
The writing was on the wall for India after resumption. A reverse flick by Surinder Kaur missed the target followed by another attempt by Saba Anjum off Rani Ramphal which failed to bear fruit.
Yellow cards for Rosalind and Deepika, and two greens for Mukta Barla and Karandeep, dampened the enthusiasm further to the point of conceding the third goal 50 seconds before the hooter.
This result for Japan was a sweet revenge for the 2-0 defeat sustained in the last World Cup at Rosario. With nine points Japan’s chances for a podium finish are very bright.
In line for a hat-trick of gold medals, China picked up full points with an easy 3-0 victory over Kazakhstan, while South Korea accounted for Malaysia for its third successive victory.
Men’s defending champion South Korea was off to a smashing start, overwhelming Oman by eight goals to nil in Pool A. A fine blend of skill and speed highlighted Korea’s opening match.
Wednesday’s matches: Pool B:Men: India v Bangladesh (10-30 a.m. IST), Pakistan v Hong Kong China (12-30 p.m.);
Women: Korea v India (12 noon); Kazakhstan v Thailand (3-30 p.m.); China v Malaysia (5-30 p.m.).
