Once, Sjoerd Marijne called Salima Tete a Ferrari.
The India captain had the acceleration to turn a loose ball into a counterattack, the speed to leave defenders chasing shadows and the engine to keep going long after others had slowed down. But somewhere along the way, the Ferrari became a fleet.
“Now, there are 10 Ferraris on the field,” Salima had said before the tournament, crediting her teammates for the speed and fitness that have become defining features of this Indian team.
On Wednesday night, South Korea got a glimpse of what she meant.
India did not just beat South Korea 2-0 to reach the Asian Games final. They spent 60 minutes squeezing the life out of the semi-final. India dominated possession, repeatedly entered the circle, won penalty corners and, when the goals finally came, refused to take their foot off the accelerator as they set up a gold-medal clash with holders China.
For half an hour, though, it was a test of patience.
South Korea had managed to do what few had at these Games: keep India scoreless. The Indian attack, which had been feasting on opposition defences through the pool stage, kept coming up against bodies, sticks and a goalkeeper in its way. Nine penalty corners came in the first half without producing a goal.
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Marijne’s team, however, did not panic, or get restless. They kept probing, kept circulating the ball and recycling possession, and kept making Korea defend. Eventually, the pressure told, as Ishika and Salima scored a goal each in the third and fourth quarters, respectively, to hand India a 2-0 win.
By the end, India had 61 per cent possession and had won 12 penalty corners to Korea’s three. They had also kept Korea from turning their rare moments of possession into sustained pressure. It was the kind of territorial control that has been the defining feature of India’s campaign in Kakamigahara.
They entered the semi-final having scored 66 goals in five pool matches, the most by any team in the tournament, while conceding just three. Deepika had 21 goals, Navneet Kaur 10 and Rutuja Pisal seven. The goals had come through different routes, too: 34 from field play and 30 from penalty corners.
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But those goals came against opponents who aren’t exactly hockey nations. Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Thailand. In a way, the semi-final was a step-up after the lightweight battles in the early rounds, and even though South Korea did not prove to be an attacking threat, their watertight defence tested India’s patience.
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The breakthrough, when it came in the 44th minute, was almost cheeky. Ishika was the injector at a penalty corner, but instead of the expected Deepika drag-flick, Deepika received the ball at the edge of the D and immediately played it back to Ishika. The variation caught Korea off guard. Ishika swiped at the ball and finally broke the resistance.
After nine unsuccessful penalty corners in the first half, India had found another way in.
And once they did, they did not wait long for the second. In the 48th minute, Salima did what Ferraris do best: accelerate. She drove into the D and tried to squeeze through from the baseline before cutting the ball across the dangerous space between the penalty spot and the goal line. The ball created panic in front of the Korean goal, sticks and bodies converging as the defence scrambled. It ricocheted off a defender and went in, doubling India’s advantage.
The numbers tell the story, but they do not quite capture the relentlessness. With less than five minutes left and India already two goals ahead, Rujuta chased down a misplaced pass to make sure India retained possession. There was no immediate danger, no need to sprint. But the ball was there, so Rujuta went after it.
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It was a small moment, almost insignificant against the two goals and the 12 penalty corners. Yet it was perhaps the clearest illustration of what this team has become. A side that had scored 66 times in the pool phase was not satisfied merely with attacking. A side that had conceded three goals was not content merely with defending a lead.
The reward is a final that, before the semi-finals, everybody wanted to see. China, the defending champions and Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallists, had to go through a shootout against hosts Japan, winning 4-2 after the match ended level, to book their place in Friday’s gold-medal match.
Now, there is no room for what-ifs. Just India, China, the Asian Games gold, and an Olympic ticket waiting at the end of it
