New Delhi, Sept. 30 -- And there it is! After battling former champions, overcoming minnows and understanding their own depth, the Indian women's hockey team on Wednesday booked its ticket to the Asian Games gold medal match with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over South Korea at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium.

Following a match defined by relentless Indian pressure and some heroic South Korean defending, India will now face the formidable Chinese in Friday's final. China survived a scare, beating Japan 4-2 in a shootout after the regulation period ended goalless earlier in the day.

Despite the contrast in world rankings, with India sitting at 8th and South Korea 17th, the semi-final was anything but a routine victory. The first half was...