The Indian women’s hockey team will face South Korea in the Asian Games semifinal at the Kawasaki Juko Stadium on Wednesday, with a place in the final at stake.
Unbeaten throughout the competition, India will look to continue its winning run and move closer to ending a 44-year wait for an Asian Games women’s hockey gold medal. India’s only previous triumph in the event came in 1982.
India have won all five of their Pool B matches and enter the semifinal on a five-match winning streak. They began with a 19-0 victory over Uzbekistan, followed by a 17-1 win against Indonesia and a 20-1 result against Thailand. A 3-1 victory over hosts Japan kept their perfect record intact before India completed the pool stage with a 7-0 win over Singapore.
South Korea finished second in Pool A behind China, recording four wins from five matches. Their only defeat came against China, with South Korea losing 0-3, while their biggest victory was an 8-0 result against Bangladesh. India are ranked eighth in the world, while South Korea are 15th, with China the only higher-ranked Asian team at No. 4. Both sides will return to action after a two-day break following the pool stage.
India’s attacking strength has been one of the key features of their campaign, with drag-flick specialist Deepika leading the tournament’s scoring charts with 21 goals from five matches. Experienced forward Navneet Kaur is second with 10 goals, including seven from field play. Rutuja Dadaso Pisal has scored seven, while Lalremsiami and Ishika have contributed six and five goals respectively.
India also have experienced options in goal, with Savita providing leadership and Bichu Devi offering another dependable presence between the posts. South Korea, meanwhile, will look to midfielder Seungae Park, who has scored eight goals in the tournament. India’s defensive unit will need to contain her attacking threat as the Korean side seeks to put greater pressure on the Indian goal.
India head coach Sjoerd Marijne said the team had used training to maintain its rhythm and was aware of the greater challenge posed by the semifinal. The weather in Kawasaki has remained overcast in recent days, with rain even causing a brief interruption to a men’s match between Pakistan and Oman on Monday. However, sunny conditions are forecast for Wednesday as India and South Korea battle for a place in the Asian Games final.