India, Pakistan renew hockey rivalry in Asian Games semifinal, Olympic qualification at stake
Defending champions India will renew their fierce hockey rivalry with Pakistan in a high-stakes Asian Games semifinal here on Thursday, with the winner moving into the title clash and closer to securing a direct qualification spot for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The Asian Games gold medallist will earn the direct Olympic berth, giving India added incentive as they look to defend the title they won at the previous edition.
The other semifinal will see Malaysia take on South Korea.
India have been unbeaten in the tournament, topping Pool A with five wins from five matches after bouncing back from a disappointing seventh-place finish at the World Cup earlier this year.
They opened their campaign with a 13-1 win over Indonesia and followed it with a 16-1 victory against Sri Lanka. India then defeated South Korea 8-2, recording their biggest-ever win over the Koreans in Asian Games history, before overcoming hosts Japan 2-0 in their toughest pool-stage outing.
They rounded off the group phase with a 10-0 win over Bangladesh.
India's attacking unit has also found its rhythm ahead of the knockout stage. Dilpreet Singh is among the tournament's leading scorers with nine goals, while Abhishek and captain Harmanpreet Singh have eight each.
Harmanpreet's drag-flicks have remained a major threat from penalty corners, an area that could prove decisive against Pakistan.
Raj Kumar Pal ruled out, Nilakanta comes in
India will be without midfielder Raj Kumar Pal, who suffered a left thumb fracture during the final pool match and has been ruled out for the remainder of the tournament.
Travelling reserve Nilakanta Sharma has been brought into the squad in his place.
"It's just unfortunate for Raj. At the same time, we have great experience that's coming in. Nilakanta has been at the Olympics, World Cup. So, it's a nice addition in terms of an experienced player coming in at an important time," chief coach Craig Fulton said.
Pakistan had looked set to top Pool B and potentially face India in the final, but a narrow 4-5 defeat against Malaysia dropped them to second place and set up the much-anticipated semifinal.
They had earlier beaten Thailand 9-0, Uzbekistan 5-1, China 3-0 and Oman 7-2.
Pakistan's main attacking threat will be drag-flick specialist Sufiyan Khan, who leads the tournament scoring charts with 11 goals. His contest with Harmanpreet in the penalty-corner battle could be crucial, with both teams aware of the danger posed by conceding set pieces.
The weather is also expected to be more favourable in Kakamigahara, with a sunny forecast after incessant rain earlier this week.
Beyond the numbers, the semifinal carries the weight of one of hockey's most closely followed rivalries. India have not lost to Pakistan since the 2016 South Asian Games final and will seek to extend that unbeaten run on the Asian Games stage.
"In tournament hockey, all roads lead to this point. Semifinals are games of consequence, so it's exciting," Fulton said.
"We'll fine-tune all that we have to for penalty corner attack, penalty corner defence and whatever else we are focusing on. We've had five good games and got good momentum going into this (semifinal)."
With both teams one win away from the final, there will be little margin for error.
India will look to combine their attacking firepower with defensive discipline, while Pakistan will hope to make their penalty-corner opportunities count.
For India, victory would secure a place in the final and keep alive their bid to successfully defend their Asian Games hockey title while moving closer to an Olympic berth.
