With two match wins safely in the bag, there is a test coming up for India in the 7th Asia Cup hockey here on Monday – the match against South Korea. And it could well be the biggest challenge for the defending champions so far.

"There is not much pressure on us against Korea. But for them, they still have two more matches to play. There are three teams in the fray for the semifinal spot and we have beaten China. We clearly dominated the match against China," Indian chief coach Joaquim Carvalho said, while adding that they were gunning for gold.

"We are confident against Korea as we have beaten them in the Azlan Shah tournament. But players like drag-flicker Jang Jong Hyun did not play in Azlan Shah. He and some senior players have come here and the match is bound to be tougher.

"Against Sri Lanka, we played with all seriousness and wanted to get that flow and rhythm. There is nothing like a match situation. I am happy with the way the goals were scored. A lot of goals were scored with skill and were not easy ones. However, we are not getting complacent because we scored many goals,” he said.

Quick rivals

With speed being the mantra for the Koreans and Chinese, how the Indians handle their quick rivals would be the key. "We will try to counter their speed, which is their hallmark. We will see that we are not dominated and we have now begun to dictate terms in matches," Carvalho said.The Indian coach said his players would focus on using the aerial ball.

“The Koreans are swift and can counter attack very quickly. Any wrong pass can be dangerous. The Koreans defend and wait for counters. Hence, we can't give them space for breakaway raids," the coach said when asked about the strategy of using aerial balls to build attacks.

"Work is being done on the penalty corner variation front because it is one of our options. And our conversion rate has been rather good. It's only that we got some bad decisions in the match against China. Raghunath got a couple which was disallowed. He has been doing some good running and he should play different roles."

When they enter the striking circle, the Koreans are out to earn a penalty corner. Till now, about half the goals they have scored have been off short corners and India will have to be wary of that. And Korean manager Sung Jun Cho said: "We will go for gold."

Meanwhile, the Indian coach also said that Indian Hockey Federation President KPS Gill had announced a cash prize of Rs 1000 for every goal scored by India. However, there is a catch. "He also said Rs 2000 would be deducted for every goal conceded," Carvalho said.

Monday's schedule: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka (7.30 am); China vs Thailand (9.30 am); Japan vs Hong Kong (3.00 pm); Pakistan vs Singapore (5.00 pm ); India vs Korea (7.00 pm).