Forwards clinched the game: Baskaran

Kuala Lumpur:

India hockey coach Vasudevan Baskaran on Monday attributed the team's rousing 5-2 win against Malaysia in the Sultan Azlan Shah men's hockey tournament in Kuala Lumpur to the improved performance by the forwards. "The victory demonstrated the fact that if our forwards can convert the chances, there is no reason why we cannot win," Baskaran said at the post-match press conference. Baskaran said it was up to the strikers to earn wins for the team by banking on the chances. "Last night, against Australia, we missed sitters and lost, but today, our boys were far more confident. Their body language was good and we converted most of the scoring chances." While underlining the fact that India have not lost even a single match out of the 21 they have played against Malaysia under his stewardship, Baskaran attributed today's strong performance to the reshuffling of the forward and midfield lines. "I played an additional half-back in Arjun Halappa, while Tejbir Singh was in a withdrawn position instead of his usual inside-left spot. At times, I opted for just three forwards. I think, this strategy worked well for us," he said. Malaysian coach Wallace Tan said the result was disappointing. (PTI)