India look to continue winning streak against Pak

India are looking to continue their recent domination against Asian Games gold medallists Pakistan when the arch-rivals clash in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup tomorrow. Defending champions India’s hopes of completing a hat-trick will hinge on winning the next two games, which now seems essential for advancing to the final, after they squandered a two-goal lead to suffer a 2-3 defeat against South Korea in the opening outing.

India, who won the Azlan Shah Cup outright in 2009 and were joint champions with South Korea in 2010, go into Wednesday’s match with victories in the last four encounters against Pakistan. After the reversal against South Korea, India have defeated top-placed Britain and hosts Malaysia, while the match against World champions Australia ended in a 1-1 draw.

Pakistan’s hopes have suffered a jolt despite twin victories, as they lost to both Britain and Australia. “We hope to put up a good show, our team has improved with every outing as the youngsters have gained in confidence,” says chief coach Harendra Singh. “These young players have done a wonderful job and their learning process has got a big boost through the experience here,” he said.

He said the Indian team was focusing on executing its own strategy, and are not unduly concerned about the opposition. — PTI