India captain Manpreet Singh said Monday that his boys are ready to take on South Korea in their do-or-die last group match of the Hockey Junior World Cup at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here Tuesday.
While the Netherlands are already through to the quarterfinals from Pool C, the winner of the India-Korea match will be the second team to proceed in to the last eight from the group. Canada, with two losses, is already out.
"Our next game with Korea is very crucial and a must win game for both teams. We realise that the losing team misses out on the quarterfinals hence it is an important match for both. The team is practicing very hard and working on all the strategies which will help ensure a win," Manpreet said.
"While we beat Korea 6-1 in the Sultan of Johor Cup this year, we are still not ruling out that they are playing very good hockey and should not be taken lightly. We went through the video footage of our last game against Canada and have zeroed in on our shortcomings on the field which we have tried working on in the last two days. The team is geared up and ready to take on the Koreans tomorrow," added the skipper.