TIL Desk Sports/ India tore apart reigning Asian Games champion Japan 7-2 in a one-sided encounter to storm into the summit clash of the FIH Series Finals hockey tournament here on Friday, assuring themselves a place in the year end’s Olympic qualifying event.
Ramandeep Singh (23rd, 37th) scored a brace in his comeback match after a long injury lay-off while Harmanpreet Singh (7th), Varun Kumar (14th), Hardik Singh (25th), Gursahibjit Singh (43rd) and Vivek Sagar Prasad (47) all got on to the scoresheet.
Japan sounded the board through Kenji Kitazato (2nd) and Kota Watanabe (20th). India will face South Africa in Saturday’s final while Japan will lock horns with the USA in the third place play-off match. South Africa had earlier defeated USA 2-1 in the first semifinal. Japan took the lead in the second minute from a counter attack with Kitazato turning in a pass from Kenta Tanaka from their first attack.
