Title holders India face acid test against China in women's ACT hockey

 Defending champions India will face their sternest test at the women's Asian Champions Trophy when they take on reigning Olympic silver medallists China in a blockbuster contest here on Saturday.

Both India and China are undefeated in the tournament so far, having registered three wins from as many games.

But world no. 6 China lead the points table on account of better goal difference of 21 as against India's 18.

The top four teams after the round robin stage will qualify for the semifinals of the six-team tournament.

In the last two outings between the two sides, at the 2023-24 FIH Pro League in February this year, China came out victorious on both occasions.

So, Saturday's match provides a great opportunity for India to settle scores. But it is easier said than done as there is hardly anything to separate the two sides.

Both India and China have scored goals aplenty in the three matches so far.

While the 13-0 thrashing of Thailand have taken India's tally to 20 goals, China still lead the chart, with 22 strikes.

Against Thailand on Thursday, the Indians played a near-perfect game with all their departments clicking at the same time.

The Salima Tete-led side scored eight field goals and five from penalty corners.

The most heartening factor was India's ability to find the net from set pieces, which was a cause of concern in the first two games. The hosts converted five of the 12 penalty corners they earned against Thailand with four coming from direct tries.

If the Indian backline was hardly tested by Thailand, the forward line was led superbly by Deepika, who alone scored five goals, including two from set pieces with direct dragflicks.

Besides Deepika, the likes of Preeti Dubey, Navneet Kaur, Lalremsiami and Beauty Dung and Sangita Kumari also shone bright upfront.

Preeti, Lalremsiami and Manisha Chauhan scored a brace each.

The Indian midfield was superbly controlled by skipper Salima and Neha Goyal, with Sushila Chanu and Udita holding the fort at the backline.

Going into the next match, the only worry for India would be the lack of action for their defence, with Savita Punia and Bichu Devi Karibam being hardly tested by the Thailand team.

The Indian midfield and defence will have to be at their best against the nimble-footed Chinese who are known for their brisk counterattacks.

The other important thing will be the transition of the ball from backline into the Chinese circle. The Indian strikers are also expected to face a much tougher test against the Chinese compared to the last game.

The most important thing will be to not rush with the ball and pick the right options inside the opposition circle.

India's chief coach Harendra Singh opined that the team needs to maintain its structure as it did against Thailand.

"I am happy with the way the team kept their structure and managed to manipulate the opposition and score goals.

"There was connection between the defenders and attacking midfielders and we need to do the same in the remaining matches," Harendra said after Thursday's match.

In other matches of the day, Malaysia will take on Japan while Korea will play Thailand.