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HYDERABAD, India: Specialist dragflicker Diwakar Ram scored twice off short corners to guide India to a 3-1 victory over a guileless Pakistan in the first semifinal of the Junior Asia Cup Hockey Tournament, here at the Gachibowli Stadium on Wednesday.
Diwakar Ram edged out Kashif Ali in conversion of penalty corners as the Pakistani pulled off one goal from three attempts while the Indian was on target twice from four set-pieces as Mohammad Ateeq also shot wide and high off Pakistan’s fourth short corner.
Gurwinder Singh Chandi pulled off a reverse-flick field goal in the 16th minute after the start to give India a 1-0 halftime lead.
India will now meet either South Korea or Japan in Friday’s final.
Malaysia and Singapore, who were playing in the eight-Nation Junior Asia Cup here, have already qualified for next year’s Junior World Cup as the host nations.
However, the remaining qualifiers will be decided in a meeting of the Asian Hockey Federation and International Hockey Federation here on Thursday (today).
The two finalists are certain to qualify with a chance that the third-placed team or both the losing semifinalists may also win tickets to the Junior World Cup which is likely to be a 20-nation affair this time.
A few minutes before the halftime whistle in the first semifinal, Pakistan’s right half Mohammad Irfan and Indian captain Gurbaj Singh had an onfield altercation as umpires and officials intervened to separate the two players.
This led to a few minutes stoppage as Pakistan’s Mohammad Irfan was temporarily sent out with a yellow card.
Pakistan started brightly as their skipper Shafqat Rasool missed a reverse-flick attempt during the initial attacks on the Indian goal.
Gurwinder Singh Chandi’s goal came against the run of play as his innocuous-looking reverse flick sailed into the goal between Pakistani goalkeeper Imran Shah’s legs after deflecting off his left pad.
Pakistani attacks then faded out as their wonted forwards were never able to cow down the dogged Indian defence though the green-shirts got four short corners’ all in the second half.
India scored twice and Pakistan once in the 14 minute spell after the break as there was no addition to the scoreline in the remaining 21 minutes.
Diwakar Ram, who scooped wide off India’s only first short corner in the first half made no mistake off his team’s second penalty flick, three minutes into the second session.
Kashif Ali, who had scored two lovely penalty corner goals in the pool match against South Korea, reduced the margin five minute later off his side’s first short corner but was off target from Pakistan’s second set-piece awarded four minutes later by Omanese umpire Al-Wahibi Thani Saheem.
India then considolidated their lead, again through Diwakar Ram in the 14th minute of the second period before Kashif missed another penalty corner flick for Pakistan, hardly a minute later.
Diwakar Ram couldn’t complete a hat-trick of short corner goals when he flicked wide off India’s fourth short corner in the 17th minute while Mohammad Ateeq also sent his shot wide when Pakistan themselves were awarded their fourth short corner in the 29th minute.
“The two teams were evenly balanced but the Indians had a slightly better conversion rate off PCs which saw them win the match,” Pakistan’s Chief Coach Jahangir Butt said.
“Our forwards found it hard to pierce the strong Indian defence but we earned as many short corners as India and ultimately the conversion of set-pieces decided the issue,” Butt said.
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