India eye big win against Indonesia, favourable result in Pak vs JPN match

Jakarta
Defending champions India need to beat hosts Indonesia by a huge margin and hope Pakistan defeats Japan in the other Pool A match for advancing to the knockout stage of the Asia Cup men’s hockey tournament here on Thursday.
India’s fate is not in their own hands anymore as even a win against lowly Indonesia will not guarantee them a knock-out berth. Japan will have to beat Pakistan to keep India’s faint hopes alive.
With a draw and a loss, India is placed third in Pool A behind Japan (6 points) and Pakistan (4 points). Under the guidance of Sardar Singh, India fielded a young team in the tournament alongside a handful of seniors like Birendra Lakra and SV Sunil, who came out of retirement. But the senior duo looked well past their prime if their performances in the two matches so far are to go by.
India conceded a last-minute goal to draw 1-1 against Pakistan in their tournament opener before being thrashed by Japan 2-5. But now, a next to impossible task awaits the Indians as they not only have to score big against Indonesia but also hope that Japan beat Pakistan in the other Pool A match on Thursday if they are to progress to the Super 4 stage.
India has a goal difference of minus three as against Pakistan’s plus 13. If Pakistan loses to Japan, India will have to beat Indonesia by a huge margin to go past their western neighbors in goal difference and advance further in the tournament.
Inexperience was the major reason behind India’s below-par performances as the young players, mainly drafted from the last Junior World Cup squad, are finding it difficult to get a measure of the level of international hockey.
In the two matches so far, the Indians lacked cohesion in the three departments — defense, midfield, and forwarding.
The Indians lacked a quality playmaker in the midfield, which was evident from their constant efforts of building attacks from the center instead of using both the flanks more frequently.
Lakra looked like a pale shadow of himself in the backline, which has crumbled big time when put under relentless pressure.
The forward line has been wasteful with the likes of Tokyo Olympian Simranjeet Singh and youngster Uttam Singh not having the best of outings.