India Dominates Bangladesh in Asian Champions Trophy Opener
India's Strong Start in the Asian Champions Trophy
The six teams competing in the Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) may need some time to adjust as they face high-caliber opponents on both green and blue surfaces. However, following India's impressive 13-0 victory over Bangladesh, coach Craig Fulton noted that the team quickly adapted to the pitch at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium, despite their last experience on green turf being several years ago.
Fulton expressed satisfaction with the pitch conditions, stating, "Everywhere else has switched to blue turf. I prefer fast surfaces; slow and spongy ones are not ideal. Fortunately, the pitch in Jalandhar was fast, just as we wanted, and the team enjoyed it from the start. Our performance aligned well with our playing style, and we look forward to league matches under different conditions, including floodlights."
The coach emphasized the importance of a quick start, which they achieved in the first quarter. He remarked, "We aimed for fast-paced hockey, which we successfully executed. However, our performance dipped in the third quarter, which is a concern. Nonetheless, I’m pleased with how we finished the match."
India scored four goals each in the first and fourth quarters, but their scoring slowed in the second and third quarters, netting two and three goals, respectively, likely due to a decrease in game tempo.
Next, India will face China on October 29. China, featuring eight debutants, narrowly lost 4-5 to Malaysia in their opening match, showcasing strong counter-attacks and effective use of their tall forwards.
Fulton acknowledged the challenge posed by the Chinese team, stating, "They are a new squad, different from the one we faced in the recent Asian Games. We need to study video footage of their match to understand their play style better. Their first performance was commendable, and we will need to match that level of effort in our upcoming game."
India capitalized on Bangladesh's inexperience to kick off their league campaign with a resounding 13-0 win.
When asked about integrating new players following the retirement of veterans, Fulton humorously replied, "We have to wait and see."
While Nilakanta Sharma has announced this will be his final tournament, veteran striker Mandeep Singh, who scored a hat-trick, along with Jarmanpreet Singh, expressed a desire to continue playing.
In other matches, Malaysia is set to compete against Korea on Wednesday, while Bangladesh will take on Japan. On Tuesday, China and Bangladesh skipped the training session, while the other two teams participated at the same venue.