The unbeaten Indian men’s hockey team is set to face Korea in their opening Super 4s encounter at the Hockey Asia Cup on Wednesday. Led by drag-flick specialist and captain Harmanpreet Singh, India topped Pool A with an impressive run of victories — edging out China 4-3, Japan 3-2, and thrashing Kazakhstan 15-0.

Korea enter the Super 4s after mixed results in the group stage, including a 7-0 win against Chinese Taipei, a 1-4 loss to Malaysia, and a 5-1 victory over Bangladesh.

India’s chief coach Craig Fulton praised the team’s momentum and fitness ahead of the crucial clash. “It is nice to get through the pool phase without injuries. Back-to-back wins have been refreshing, and the energy is really high in the squad. Now we move to the next challenge with a fresh approach,” he said. Fulton emphasized that the Kazakhstan game offered valuable opportunities to sharpen India’s finishing in the final third.

Harmanpreet Singh acknowledged the tough road ahead. “All of them are strong opponents. We haven’t played Korea and Malaysia much in the past year, but we had a good practice game against Malaysia. With China, we know their style well. Our focus remains on one game at a time, starting with Korea,” the captain noted.

India will play Malaysia on September 4 and China on September 6 in their remaining Super 4s fixtures. Malaysia, who topped Pool B, were runners-up in the 2022 edition held in Jakarta.

The Indian squad will aim to carry its unbeaten streak into the knockout phase, with hopes of reclaiming continental glory.