Asian Champions Trophy, India vs Japan: In-form Harmanpreet and Co face tricky Japan test in semi-finals

India take on Japan in the semi-finals of the Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament on Friday (11 August) at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai. On the balance of things, World No 4 India, led by one of the best drag flickers in the world in Harmanpreet Singh, has nothing to worry about World No 19 as the hosts look to clinch a record-making fourth Asian Champions Trophy title, but the rankings can be deceiving in sports. It’s often branded as a cliché when one says that raking in sports doesn’t matter but Japan proved it to be the truth in the group game against India. Playing in front of a cheerful and boisterous crowd in Chennai, India defeated China 7-2, Malaysia 5-0, South Korea 3-2 and arch-rivals Pakistan 4-0, but the only blemish in their highly impressive group stage campaign was the 1-1- draw against japan. Also, one mustn’t forget that India lost 3-5 to Japan in the semi-finals of the 2021 Asian Champions Trophy in Bangladesh. In the group stage, India scored 20 goals, the most for a team in the tournament so far, but only one of them came against Japan as Harmanpreet and Co could only convert one of the 15 PCs against the Asian opponent. While India would look to improve their PC conversion rate in the semi-finals against Japan, they would also look to score from open play to counter Japan’s narrow and robust defence. “We had some good consistency in each quarter (against Pakistan), which we did the same during the Japan game. We also had more penetration into the circle in each quarter than Japan. So, it will be about maintaining consistency and not doing it just one way,” India coach Craig Fulton said ahead of the match. Hardik Singh, India’s vice-captain, said that India would not take things lightly against Japan. “We expect to carry the same momentum. But, we still need to have more patience inside the box, which is extremely important. Also, we need to set up the tempo of the game. We will be treating them (Japan) as a top team.” For Japan as well their 1-1 draw against India remain the inspiration going into the semis. They thwarted India’s PC danger by being alert and defending deep, but they haven’t impressed going forward in the tournament. With just one win against China, Japan progressed to the semi-finals by finishing above fifth-placed Pakistan on a better goal difference. India vs Japan head-to-head: Total matches: 93 India: 82 Japan: 6 Draw: 5 India vs Japan match and live streaming details: Date and time: 11 August 2023 at 8:30 pm IST Venue: Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium, Chennai TV Channel: Star Sports Network LIVE Streaming: FanCode