Japan confident of trouncing India in FIH Series Finals semis

Japan hockey coach Siegfried Aikman expressed confidence of his team overpowering India in their semi-final clash in the ongoing FIH Series Finals. "India win? Maybe, but it's not done. Still at this moment, we strongly believe we can win. It's a hypothetical question as of now. A match is over when it is over and we will do everything to win," Aikman said during a pre-match press conference here on Thursday.

Acknowledging that India is a good team statistically, Aikman said it is the unpredictability that makes the sport of hockey interesting, as even an underdog can beat a strong team. "Statistically, India should win. But if that happens in sport, sports will be boring. The fact that an underdog can flip the script makes hockey so interesting," he said. We will have the strategy to win. If I share the strategy with you, I can give it away. You can come tomorrow to watch, then you can see it and be surprised."

Aikman agreed that the extreme heat had some effect on the players but asserted that the weather can never be an excuse. "We have already played twice in extreme heat. It has had an effect on players. But it's all part of the game. We have done all that is possible, and heat is not an excuse," Aikman said. Japan will compete with India in the semi-finals on Friday.