Bangladesh hope to maintain winning run against Sri Lanka

Fresh off a win over Indonesia in the opener, the Bangladesh hockey team will look to keep their winning run intact when they take on Sri Lanka in their second pool match of the Asian Games Qualifiers in Bangkok today.

Although Bangladesh's opening match against Indonesia was not as easy as it was during the Asia Cup Qualifiers in March, when they won 7-2, Iman Gobinathan Krishnamurthy's charges clinched it 3-1 to ensure a winning start.

They are now eyeing a win over Sri Lanka, who have failed to best Bangladesh in seven meetings over the past nine years.

"The first game is always hard. We came into Bangkok late on May 5 without playing any friendly matches. Yet the boys played well to get the win. They understand the situation and I believe they will play hard tomorrow [Tuesday]," Krishnamurthy told The Daily Star on Monday.

The India-born Malaysian was well aware of Sri Lanka's strengths and wanted to deprive the opponents of space in the crucial match.

"They [Sri Lanka] are improving game by game under their Korean coach. They have a few good players who can punish us. We need to stop them. We have been analysing them since yesterday [Sunday]," Krishnamurthy said.

Bangladesh's nine-year winning streak against the Islanders includes six straight wins in the 2018 Asian Games Qualifiers (3-2), 2018 World Hockey League Round-2 (9-0), 2016 AHF Cup (3-0), 2016 South Asian Games (2-0 & 3-0), 2014 World Hockey League Round-1 (3-1) and a 3-0 win on penalties after a 2014 Asian Games Qualifying tie ended in a 2-2 draw.

Asked whether it was possible to keep the record intact, Krishnamurthy replied: "I hope so. I never believe in past meetings. This is the first time I'm playing against Sri Lanka and I hope for the best."