India face an uphill task against hosts Malaysia in the Asia Cup semi-final at the Sultan Azlan Shah Stadium here today
The Sardar Singh-led side will look to continue their unbeaten streak after topping Pool ‘B’ by thrashing neighbours Bangladesh 9-1 on Wednesday. India beat Oman 8-0 in the tournament opener, followed by a 2-0 win over defending champions South Korea.
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Malaysia, on the other hand, finished second in Pool ‘A’, behind Pakistan, after beating Chinese Taipei and Japan.
The Malaysians will be backed by a vociferous home crowd, a fact that India captain Sardar Singh is well aware of. “It’s one of the most crucial
matches for us in recent times. Malaysia is a tough opponent, but we are ready. We will have to play against the entire stadium tomorrow too as they will have home support behind them,” Sardar was quoted as saying by PTI.
“We are completely focussed on our job. We know we have to win and we are confident of pulling it across,” he added.
Pakistan will face defending champions South Korea in the other semi-final.u00a0