With the 24th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup commencing on Sunday in Malaysia, the Indian men's hockey team is all geared up to put their best foot forward in the opening clash against South Korea.
The two teams last met in the semi-final of the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, where India defeated the hosts by 1-0. The team, under the excellent leadership of experienced Sardar Singh and new coach Paul van Ass, will look forward to repeat the result of the last meeting with the Koreans.
Being the first international tournament for the Indian team in 2015, the well-trained 18-member squad aims to start the season with a win by putting up a good show here on Sunday.
The Korean team, which settled for a third-place finish at last year's Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, will hope to finish at the top and avenge their Asian Games defeat at the hands of the Indians. The team, led by experienced Seungil Lee, has the wherewithal to finish on the winning side against India and Sardar's boys will be well advised to not gnaw on the past success at the Asiad.
Aiming to register a victory on the opening day, India captain Sardar said, "First match is always important for any team. We want to start our campaign with a win and the match will also give us an opportunity to examine our strengths and weaknesses. The Korean team is quiet strong and always rated among the best in Asia. They have beaten us on a few occasions in the past and we are not taking the match lightly. We will play with our full strength and give our best to win the game."
Confident about the team's preparations, India coach Van Ass said, "Though all the matches are important for us, the opening match always plays a big role in every team's campaign. A good show surely enhances the confidence level of the players and brings very positive energy in the coaching staff as well."
"Boys are well-prepared and confident to take on the Korean team. We have spent some good time together during the preparatory camp and that has helped us a lot. The team is very positive, energetic, well-practised and ready to take on the opponent in the first match. From tomorrow (Sunday), I think I will understand as the Chief Coach where does my unit exactly stand and how do we start working on ourselves as a team."
India, the five time winners of the tournament, last lifted the trophy in 2010. In fact, India and South Korea were joint winners in 2010 after the match was abandoned due to extremely bad weather conditions. South Korea have won the tournament twice.
The match begins 15:40 IST on Sunday.
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