Asian Champions Trophy: India look to continue winning run against Japan

The Men in Blue will look to record their third victory from the Pool matches.

The Indian hockey team awaits the challenge of Japan in their next Men’s Asian Champions Trophy 2021 fixture. Bangladesh is playing host to the tournament, which involves the top Asian hockey teams. Graham Reid’s men are one of the favourites to win the tournament. They have the chance to win a third consecutive match and cement their place at the top of the points table.

Japan are a tricky opponent and the India team will need to be wary of the threat they pose. The upcoming contest will be very entertaining and has a lot of things to look forward to. Here is what the match has in store for the fans:

Team India

The start of the tournament was disappointing for India as they drew their first match 2-2 against South Korea. However, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics bronze medalists found their rhythm in the next game. India defeated Bangladesh by a 9-0 score, showcasing their potential and threat. Post that win, India came up against historic rivals Pakistan. 

The contest between the joint defending champions was very entertaining and saw India emerge as 3-1 winners. Harmanpreet Singh scored a brace, while Akashdeep also got on the scoreboard. Hence, India have good form coming into the fixture against Japan. All eyes will be on Harmanpreet once again, as the drag-flicker is crucial to India's success in the tournament.

Team Japan

Japan’s only major success in the history of the Asian Champions Trophy was the second-place finish during the 2013 edition. The host nation for the Tokyo Olympics lost four of their five matches in the tournament on their home turf and finished second from last.

In the ongoing Asian Champions Trophy, Japan have drawn both of their opening games. The first match was a 0-0 draw with Pakistan and the second ended 3-3 against South Korea. 

Key Players

Harmanpreet Singh (India)

Harmanpreet Singh scored a brace against Pakistan and will be a major threat to the Japanese defence. His penalty corner conversion against Bangladesh was not impressive, but he made amends against Pakistan. India have a strong attack and will score a lot of goals eventually, if drag-flickers like Harmanpreet Singh get chances.

The player got on the score-sheet in the last few matches and will be now hungry to score more. Japan must be cautious and not give away penalty corners, as Harmanpreet is a specialist and will hurt them. 

Seren Tanaka (Japan)

Seren Tanaka is the skipper of the Japanese hockey team. The 28-year-old is not the most experienced player and yet leads the team due to his quality. Tanaka’s leadership will be crucial if Japan are to cause an upset and defeat India.

Hiroki Watanabe, the manager of the outfit, will be reliant on Seren Tanaka’s performance, as he is the catalyst that helps create scoring opportunities and moves the ball well. Tanaka was a part of the Japanese team that won their first gold at the Asian Games in hockey in 2018.

Did You Know?

• Japan’s appearance in the final of the 2013 edition, was the only occasion when India didn't play Pakistan for the Asian Champions Trophy.
• India have won the Asian Champions Trophy a total of three times, joint at the top with Pakistan
• Kenta Tanaka of Japan scored five goals at the Olympics tournament, the highest for the hosts. 

Squad

India

Krishan Bahadur Pathak (GK), Suraj Karkera (gk), Gurinder Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Varun Kumar, Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Mandeep Mor, Harmanpreet Singh, Dipsan Tirkey,  Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh (Captain), Sumit, Rajkumar Pal, Akashdeep Singh, Shamsher Singh, Jaskaran Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Gursahibjit Singh, Shilanand Lakra, Dilpreet Singh.

Japan

Takumi Kitagawa(GK), Takashi Yoshikawa (GK), Takuma Niwa, Seren Tanaka, Hiromasa Ochiai, Kazuma Murata, Taiki Takade, Kenta Tanaka, Manabu Yamashita, Raiki Fujishima, Ken Nagayoshi, Hiroto Takebayashi, Kato Ryosei, Masaki Ohashi, Kaito Tanaka, Shota Yamada, Ryoma Ooka, Yoshiki Kirishita.

Broadcast

The match will be shown LIVE on the Star Sports network on December 19, 2021. It will be also available to stream LIVE on Hotstar and Jio TV.

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