KUALA LUMPUR – National hockey head coach Sarjit Singh has emphasised the need for his charges to be cautious of China’s counter-attacking gameplay if they hope to secure their first win in their ongoing Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) campaign.
The 61-year-old coach’s remarks came after his side had to play catch-up hockey to salvage a 2-2 draw against Pakistan in their opening ACT match yesterday.
Speaking to Scoop from Hulunbuir (China), Sarjit warned that his team must watch out for China’s long flicks, which could be deadly if they reach their attackers.
For the record, China, hosting the ACT for the second time in the tournament’s 13-year history since its inception in 2011, fell to a 3-0 defeat to Paris Olympics bronze medalist India in their opening game yesterday.
“I watched China’s game against India, and despite their loss, they were very effective with their counter-attacks and constantly threatened the Indian team with their quick play.
“They nearly scored on several occasions in the match, and we need to be very careful when we face them. They have excellent flickers who can flick the ball up to 70 yards and easily find their attackers.
“Moreover, their defence is quite strong, and I have a strong feeling they will focus on shutting down Faizal Saari to prevent him from scoring. We need to move faster with the ball and stay ahead of them.
“We cannot underestimate them. We must push ourselves to the maximum and aim for our first win of the campaign against them,” Sarjit said when contacted.
Malaysia currently ranks fourth in the ACT standings out of six teams (China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Pakistan) with one point.
The top four teams will qualify for the ACT semifinals.
The Speedy Tigers are ranked 13th in the world with 2,010.30 points. – September 9, 2024