By Tannistha Dey
Craig Fulton strode into the changing room wildly wiping off his tactics board. None of what India had been able to muster in Rajgir’s opening half appeared to have anything to do with the plan he had written down. Defenders advanced in desperation, forwards retreated and made mistakes, and in amongst the confusion it was a midfielder typically the architect, not the finisher who caught the eye.
Under the rain-soaked evening, Hardik Singh delivered a flash of excellence that proved to be the silver lining in India’s 2-2 draw against Korea in the Super 4s of the Asia Cup. Sukhjeet Singh snatched the ball by the half line in the eighth minute and offloaded Hardik. He was famous for his passing insight, and he decided to attack the defence. With subtle feints and placid poise, he floated into the circle and pushed the ball past the goalkeeper. It was only his 12th goal in 160 international caps since 2018 and one of his best.
The strike had vowed an Indian onslaught, but past frailties re-emerged. Jugraj Singh gave away a penalty stroke, which Jihun Yang converted, before Mandeep Singh’s ill-timed clearance presented Korea with a penalty corner. Sunghyun Baek’s drag-flick outsmarted Krishan Pathak and muted the stands.
India kept manufacturing opportunities but frittered them away again and again. Sukhjeet was off-target from close proximity, Abhishek sent one wide and dawdled fatally on a second. Frustration was apparent as players smashed sticks and went down on their knees. Even skipper Harmanpreet Singh ventured higher than normal, but his occasional shot at a field goal was comfortably saved.
Just as defeat seemed certain, Harmanpreet’s diagonal pass to Mandeep Singh at the far post gave India a lifeline. The forward handled the ball with finesse and equalized with an easy finish. India pushed for a winner in stoppage time but failed to get the breakthrough.
What appeared to be an easy home campaign is now very much open. Korea’s counterattacks revealed India’s defensive vulnerabilities, while missed chances upfront had the team disillusioned. Unless Fulton’s team can acquire accuracy at both ends, the Asia Cup could slip away from them.