MOHALI: The Indian men’s hockey team has carried its winning momentum from the Asian Games into the Asian Champions Trophy, winning all five of its group matches, scoring 34 goals and conceding just five to finish at the top of the standings.It has been a thoroughly dominant showing by Craig Fulton’s men, who will now take on South Korea in the semifinal on Wednesday, as the tournament shifts from Jalandhar to the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Mohali.When the two sides met in their final group-stage match on Monday, India registered a resounding 8-0 victory. However, Fulton expects the semifinal to be a completely different contest and wants his side to approach it with a fresh mindset.
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“Tonight was a completely different game. We played some good hockey, but now we have to start all over again,” Fulton said.A key question ahead of the semifinal is whether the India coach will continue to rotate his squad. Fulton has regularly shuffled his lineup throughout the tournament in a bid to manage player workload after an exhausting season.“Lots of hockey, maybe a bit too much. We’ve just got to find a way to keep the boys fresh. I think all the Asian teams are feeling it because they’re the only ones that have played the World Cup, Asian Games and this tournament,” said the India head coach.But despite the heavy schedule, Fulton has been pleased with the team’s performances.“We’re playing well, we’re playing a good brand of hockey, and our penalty corners are firing,” he added.Fulton has also been encouraged by the performances of the younger players, particularly Vishukant Singh and Angad Bir Singh, who scored his first international goal on Monday.“We wanted to bring a couple of youngsters through and try a few players in different positions. Vishu has done well, Angad has done well, and with one or two injuries in the squad, it’s been good for them to get more game time. We’ll keep assessing that,” the coach said.
