It should be fun: Brasa
Mihir Vasavda

Mumbai: India’s Asia Cup preparations didn’t start the way they would have hoped for. The first practice match against Japan at Kuantan, Malaysia, was cut short to just 35 minutes due to repeated rain interruptions on Wednesday. The tie eventually had to be called off while both sides were locked 2-2.

Sandeep Singh and Prabhjyot Singh were the scorers for India.

This was India’s first of the two practice matches before the continental tournament begins on May 9. They play South Korea on Thursday. “It’s unfortunate because we were in a mood to play. And we were playing a good game as well,” coach-in-charge Harendra Singh said. “But it is very humid in the afternoon here and rains in the evening.”

The match had to be stopped thrice due to thunderstorms and was eventually called off since the turf was booked by other countries too. Thursday’s second friendly would be played on a 20-minute-per-half format.

The Indian team officials and players met chief coach Jose Brasa for the first time on Wednesday.

The Spaniard reached Malaysia on Wednesday after his meeting with the Indian Olympic Association officials where he signed a two-year contract. “It was good to finally meet the players,” Brasa told DNA from Kuantan. “My first impression of the team is that they are obviously a very enthusiastic bunch of players. They are a strong unit as everyone knows and it should be fun being with them,” he said.

The chief coach, though, was quick to point out that certain things needed attention and he would look into those as soon as the Asia Cup is over. “I observed a few areas in our match against Japan that we need to work on. But it can happen after the tournament is over. Making changes in between will invite unnecessary trouble,” Brasa said.

Meanwhile, Harendra, who is in charge of the team for the Asia Cup, said he was confident. “We scored from a penalty corner and a field goal today so that is a good sign. We need to keep our winning momentum going,” he said.