Gifu, Oct. 1 -- : India had already worked out its penalty shootout strategy before stepping into the high-voltage Asian Games hockey semifinal against Pakistan, goalkeeper Suraj Karkera revealed after the defending champions survived a late scare to win 4-3 and storm into the gold-medal match here on Thursday.
Karkera's late introduction in place of HS Mohit during the final quarter had raised questions about whether India were preparing specifically for a shootout, with Pakistan mounting a strong comeback after India had taken a 3-0 lead.
"It's all decided before the games. If it goes down to the wire, the boss takes the call in terms of who will be in the shootout. We had our plans in place," Karkera said after the thrilling semifinal....