Baljit and Kumar lethal combination

THE combination of defender C. Baljit Singh and goalkeeper S. Kumar played a huge role in the 1-1 draw against South Korea, and more will be expected from them against Australia today.
South Korean coach Shin Seok Kyo acknowledged the fact that the duo were pivotal in handing Malaysia a point.
"We have a very good penalty corner clicker in Nam (Hyun Woo) but he was cleverly stopped because your first runner (Baljit) was so fast that he never got the chance to lift the ball.
"So we had to flick the ball to the left of the goalmouth during penalty corners and the goalkeeper (Kumar) was always alert to push the ball away.
"We could have won the match, if not for the excellent combination of the first runner and goalkeeper," said Shin.
However, the Australians are expected to come out with a plan to beat the Malaysian penalty corner defense battery, and it would be interesting to see how coach Stephen van Huizen counters it.
Kumar, 31, was modest about his display, after being named as Man-of-the-Match against South Korea.
"The result against Korea was a team effort as I have reliable defenders and also hardworking midfielders and forwards to ese the pressure at the back.
"We have trained hard for this tournament but our end target is the Asian Games. So, this tournament is a good avenue for us, as South Korea, Pakistan, India and China will be the teams to beat for the Asian Games gold," said Kumar.
Baljit, 24, is fast turning out to be among the best defenders in the world: "I train hard and also play hard, and the fact that I am the first runner during penalty corners has placed a heavy burden on my shoulders, but I am game.
"If I am slow off the line, then my mates at the back will be placed at a disadvantage as most teams have strong flickers nowdays.
"That is why I try my best to reach the flicker before he can connect to the ball, and feel good when I stop them dead," said Baljit.
Australia have a poor record in penalty corners, as they only scored two off the nine they received against Egypt, but their field attempts will be deadly, and this is where a good understanding among defenders is neded to keep them out of the scoring circle.