The Indian hockey team recorded an emphatic 5-1 victory over Japan in their opening game of the Asia Cup 2017 tournament. Hosts Bangladesh lie ahead for them on Friday October 13.
After the termination of Roelant Oltmans' contract, many thought that new coach Sjoerd Marijne would find it a bit difficult initially to find the right chemistry from the team. If the mauling of Japan is anything to go by, the Dutch coach may have not found it too hard to get into the thick of things early on with the talented Indian team.
UPDATE: India defeat Bangladesh 7-0.
Harmanpreet Singh scored a brace against Japan in the Hockey Asia Cup 2017 opener, while the likes of SV Sunil, Lalit Upadhyay and Ramandeep Singh remained the other goalscorers for India.
Hosts Bangaladesh, meanwhile, suffered a heavy defeat against the Pakistan hockey team. 7-0 remained the final scoreline from their match.
"We will play to win, no doubt about that," said coach Marjine to News 18, before embarking on the tour of Bangladesh. "According to the rankings we are the best in Asia and we have to play like that. I have spent some time with the boys and this tournament will help me understand how to proceed ahead."
"The boys like to play dynamic hockey and I am also in favour of playing for results. The Asia Cup will be the best opportunity for me to know the style of hockey the team is comfortable with."
While the clash between India and Pakistan on October 15 definitely remains the most-anticipated match of the tournament, let's not forget that both these sides have a huge chance already to progress to the knockout stages.
Both the countries are on 3 points each and the top two teams from each of the two groups, progress in the knockout stages. Japan takes on Pakistan in the other match of Group A, on Friday.
INDIA vs BANGLADESH
- Date - October 13
- Time - 5 pm IST
- Venue - Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium, Bangladesh
Watch live in the following ways
TV guide
Star Sports 2/HD (India)
Live streaming
Hotstar (India)
Live scores
Twitter (Hockey India)
