India Faces China Test in Asia Cup Hockey, Final Berth on the Line

The Indian men's hockey team's 4-1 win over Malaysia in the Super 4 stage of Asia Cup certainly eased the pressure on them after their 2-2 draw against South Korea; but their work is far from over as they aim to qualify for the final on Sunday in Rajgir, Bihar.

In their final Super 4 match, Harmanpreet Singh and company are up against China, who troubled India a fair bit in the previous group stage match before losing 3-4.

How does the Super 4 table look?

Only the top two teams in Super 4 make it to the final of the Asia Cup and the winner will qualify for next year's World Cup.

2025 Asia Cup - Super 4s

India currently sit atop the Super 4 table with four points thanks to last night's victory while China and Malaysia have the same number of wins and points, but the former is ahead because of the goal difference. South Korea lost against China and drew against India so they have a point.

Final round of Super 4 games on Saturday:

South Korea vs Malaysia at 5 PM IST.

India vs China at 7:30 PM IST.

How can India make it to the final?

For India to make it to the final and have a shot at World Cup qualification, they need to win or at least draw against China.

Despite not losing so far, the whole tournament could be done and dusted for India if they lose against China and Malaysia beat South Korea. In this case, both China and Malaysia would make it to the final.

India could lose and still qualify for the final if South Korea defeat Malaysia but not by a huge margin. A draw between South Korea and Malaysia would guarantee India's place in the final even before Craig Fulton's side entered the field for their match.

India will play China after Malaysia's game against South Korea so they will have a clear picture of the task ahead of them.

What to watch out for against China?

China have come into the tournament with a plan and have been rewarded for it. Their most significant strength is their penalty corner conversion which is better than India. It was on display in the last game between the pair when the visiting team made it 3-3 thanks to three penalty corner conversions.

China have earned 23 penalty corners in the tournament and have scored 10 (43.5%) while India have won 39 penalty corners and converted 11 (28.2%). After losing their first Super 4 match against Malaysia, China bounced back in their next by beating Korea 3-0, two of the goals came from penalty corners.

The likes of Chen Benhai, Du Shihao, Gao Jiesheng have shown their ability to convert their dragflicks while Lin Changliang has scored three field goals in the tournament.

Among all the participating nations in Rajgir, China have the highest no. of coaching staff, which includes former head coaches Michel van den Heuvel, Roelant Oltmans and Anthony Farry. Despite so many personnel involved, China's gameplan has been singular -- focus on being defensively solid and score goals via penalty corners.

What do India need to improve?

While India's forwards clicked and scored goals in their last match, they need to be consistent. Fulton had spoken about being composed inside the circle post the Korea-draw and he reiterated the same after the win over Malaysia. "It's all about composure and not having to rush it. We're still not there, but when we get there, it's going to be very good," Fulton said.

Another key issue has been the form of Krishan Pathak. So far, out of the eight goals India conceded in the tournament, seven have come against him. In the match against Malaysia on Friday, Pathak conceded a goal inside the opening minute which otherwise could've been saved. Against South Korea, he should've saved the penalty corner which gave India's opponents a 2-1 lead in the first quarter. And against China in the opening game, he could've done a lot better with all the penalty corners which went in. Most of the goals he conceded are not unsavable shots and Pathak in the past has shown he could effortlessly pull off stunning saves, which placed him as India's best goalkeeper after PR Sreejesh.

Hopefully, Pathak believes that he's a much better keeper than the one he's right now. His coach has refused to single him out for his poor form. But the next two games are crucial for World Cup qualification and India will need their senior goalkeeper to snap out of the rut and be at his best again.