Statistics support Indian supremacy, but sensitivity is not. India and Malaysia hockey affairs in men’s category is heavily overloaded in favour of India. This is history. India have lost just a solitary match in their eleven encounters since 1958 Asian Games. Even otherwise, one takes the last ten matches, its again India that dominates the numbers.
The fact of course is their matches have often been steamy, the Asian nation proving to be a thorn in the flesh of India. An unlikely India that aspires, aspires to be top of the hockey world, and in each match is inching towards that mount top. It need to exercise caution today when facing Malaysia in the semis.
With Terry Walsh, former Indian coach, in their kitty, things often turn difficult for India, and their image of ‘home winner’ is fast changing.
Malaysia for long is known to be a home winner. Its because Malaysia posted most of their victories over India on their soils, especially in the theatre of Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.
Malaysia punctured India in the 1998 Commonwealth Games semi-final. After a long lull, last year Malaysia defeated India at the quarterfinals of the Hockey World League Semifinals in London. That’s why nowadays Roelant Oltmans is on the other side of the border.
Even in the recent Asia Cup at Dhaka, despite India posting an impressive 6-1 win in the league, had to struggle for a 2-1 victory in the final.
That defeat would have kept India out of the World Cup had it not hosting it, is a different matter.
This is what Malaysia is capable of. They can stop you. They can stop you at most crucial juncture. Who can forget Suhril’s extra time goal in the 2010 semi-final.
India may have scored tens of goals of here, appreciable, but what counts today is what it will do against Malaysians who too aim at Tokyo spot.
MEN: INDIA Vs MALAYSIA in Asian Games
Matches played: 11
India won: 10
Drawn: 0
Goals For India: 36
Goals for MAL: 9
MEN: INDIA – MALAYSIA MEN in the last TEN matches
1 07.3.2018 Azlan Shah 5-1
2 10.4.2018 CWG 2-1
3 22.10.2017 Asia Cup 2-1
4 19.10.2017 Asia Cup 6-2
5 22.06.2017 HWL, London 2-3
6 05.05.2017 Azlan Shah 0-1
7 26.10.2016 Asian CT 2-1
8 15.04.2016 Azlan Shah 6-1
9 01.07.2015 HWL, Antwerp 3-2
10 08.04.2015 Azlan Shah 2-3