As the Indian team gets ready to play the semifinal against Japan in the seventh Asia Cup on Saturday, there is a sense of optimism and confidence. This is perhaps one of the best teams to come out of the present Indian setup, despite the odds.

Though India have displayed grit, good fitness and skills, it is not going to be very easy against Japan. The Japanese are fast, but not as fast as Korea. And the Koreans have far better hockey skills than the Japanese.

These two factors would perhaps make things a tad easier for India but the Japanese threat can never be        underestimated. What the Indian team would ride on is their all-win record in the league and that they are doing things the right way.

India have picked up when it comes to speed, converting penalty corners and even field goals, thanks to the organised coaching measures Indian chief coach Joaquim Carvalho has adopted after taking over in March this year. That has ensured the players are fit and capable of putting up a good show even under pressure.

Drag-flicker V R Raghunath has been scoring off penalty corners. Forwards Tushar Khandekar, Prabhjot Singh, S V Sunil, Roshan Minz and Rajpal Singh have found their rhythm and the field goals are also coming. The midfield is stopping the rival attack build-ups. The current lot is fit and raring to go. The team is in good shape under trainer Ganguly Prasad.

After a hectic practice session on Friday morning, Carvalho said: “As far as we are concerned, it is a final for us on Saturday. We will try our best and there will be a much better Indian team in the final. The team will be high on performance and morale.

Dangerous side

“The Japanese do a lot of running but they are not as organised as the Koreans. But they have the fitness and agility and can be a dangerous side. That is why we need to be a goal up against them. They play a defensive game at times and will not give us too many openings.

"Japan are a tough side and have beaten Pakistan. They have a penalty corner specialist (Katsuhiko Yamabori), who is a good player,” he added. 

Carvalho has always stressed on having a good midfield in order to be successful. Regarding that, he said: "The midfield has to be good and secure. The midfield is the engine of the team. If that fails, the team fails. We need to do hard running.

And if we don't run, we do not get the ball. If we do not get the ball, we can't score and we don't win.” Japan have promised to put up a good show and their manager Kyoichi Nagaya is convinced that his team has the wherewithal to beat India.

Malaysia will take on Korea in the other semifinal, a tough proposition for Malaysia indeed. The Koreans are extremely fast and athletic. But Malaysia are a much-improved side under coach Sarjit Singh, who took over a few months ago.

The Malaysians came up with a superb show to draw 3-3 with Pakistan after being down by three goals. That speaks volumes about the team’s fighting spirit. How they soak the pressure against a champion team like the Asian Games champions remains to be seen.

Saturday's schedule: Classification matches: Singapore vs Thailand (8.00 am, YMCA ground); Pakistan vs Bangladesh (7.00 am); China vs Hong Kong (9.30 am). Semifinals: Malaysia vs Korea (5.00 pm); India vs Japan (7.30 pm).