NEW DELHI: The stage is set for a Friday night blockbuster at the Asian Games that the entire hockey fraternity has been waiting for.
Ever since India’s pulsating 2-2 draw at the World Cup in August against the Asian Games champions, this rematch has felt inevitable. Now, with a gold medal and a ticket to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics on the line, an unbeaten and confident India will look to bring out their tactical best against the heavyweights of continental hockey. It ignited a historic run in the Netherlands and Belgium where India hammered South Africa and held 2016 Olympic champions England to a 0-0 stalemate. Aside from a hard-fought 0-2 defeat to the Dutch—their only loss of the campaign—India were impeccable. They held a top-tier Australia to another 0-0 draw before dispatching a powerhouse like Germany 3-1 in the playoff to finish fifth, their best World Cup result since the inaugural edition in 1974.
On any given day, one might expect China to dictate terms. But India’s crucial draw against them at the World Cup seemed to have breached that psychological barrier while demonstrating their revival, making them believe victory is achievable. That result proved to a catalyst for captain Salima Tete and her squad. They have carried that momentum into the Asian Games. Cruising past early opponents, India have looked at the top of their game. Even when Japan in the group stage and South Korea in the semi-finals mounted some resistance, the Sjoerd Marijne-coached outfit simply shifted gears, showcasing a mentality to find a way through. Friday’s final will be a tactical chess match between Dutch and Australian coaching minds who know the global game intimately, Marijne and Annan.
After a spectacular silver medal finish at the 2024 Paris Olympics, China are operating at the peak of their powers. Make no mistake, this China are a different beast compared to any other team India have faced until now at the Asian Games. They didn’t just reach the Olympics final, they pushed the seemingly invincible Netherlands to the brink, losing only in a heartbreaking penalty shootout.
