Captain Kushwaha scores twice as India beat Korea 4-1 in U-18 Asia Cup
Kakamigahara: The Indian men's hockey team will look to address its weaknesses when it faces Pakistan, while the women's side will aim to continue its dominant run against China in the semifinals of the U-18 Asia Cup here on Friday.
The Indian U-18 men's hockey team finished second in Pool A with three wins and one defeat. India scored 32 goals and conceded only six during their campaign so far.
Also Read: Indian men's hockey team beat Chinese Taipei 13-1 to enter semifinals of U-18 men's Asia Cup
The men's side opened the tournament with a commanding 13-0 victory against Kazakhstan before suffering a 2-4 defeat against hosts Japan.
They responded strongly with a 4-1 win over Korea, followed by a comprehensive 13-1 victory against Chinese Taipei to book their place in the semifinals.
Captain Ketan Kushwaha leads the scoring charts for India with seven goals, while Ashish Tani Purti has scored six goals. Gazee Khan and Shahrukh Ali have contributed three goals each.
Pakistan, on the other hand, topped Pool B with two wins and one defeat from their three matches.
"After playing four matches, we have identified the areas where we need to improve, especially penalty corner attack and defence," Indian U-18 men's team coach Sardar Singh said.
"We have been working on these areas in separate groups with the defenders, midfielders, and forwards to ensure we are fully prepared." he added.
The Indian women's team, meanwhile, has been one of the standout performers of the tournament. They topped Pool A after winning all three of their matches, scoring 30 goals and conceding only two.
India began their campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Malaysia before registering a convincing 3-1 win against Korea.
Also Read: Captain Kushwaha scores twice as India beat Korea 4-1 in U-18 Asia Cup
They then produced a fantastic performance in their final pool match, defeating Singapore 25-0 to seal top spot in the standings.
Nousheen Naz has been India's leading scorer with 10 goals so far in the tournament.
Meanwhile, China finished second in Pool B with two wins and a draw.
"We have approached this tournament one match at a time, and now our complete focus is on China. It does not matter what the opposition does, our priority is to play to our standards, play attacking hockey, and convert our chances," Indian U-18 women's team coach Rani said.
"The girls are very fit and coordinate well amongst themselves. They will fight hard for every ball, play to our strengths, capitalise on counter-attacks, and give their best to secure a place in the final," she added.
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