The Indian men’s hockey team would look to leave behind last match’s disappointment and lift its game to the next level to stop the mighty Australians’ unbeaten run in a FIH Pro League match here on Saturday.
The Indian team played some exciting hockey against world No. 1 Netherlands in its last match but lost 2-4 in a shootout after the game ended in a 1-1 stalemate.
FIH Pro League: India loses 2-4 to Netherlands in shootout after stalemate
India is currently placed fourth in the standings with 11 points from six matches, while Australia is unbeaten so far, registering six outright wins from as many games.
Besides hoping to end its home campaign on a high, revenge will also be high on India’s mind as it squandered a two-goal lead to lose 4-6 to the Kookaburras earlier this month in Bhubaneswar.
But for that, the Harmanpreet Singh-led side will need to perform in unison in all departments of the game.
In its last match, the Indians didn’t have a very good day from penalty corners with the likes of Harmanpreet, Jugraj Singh and Amit Rohitdas finding it difficult to get past Netherlands’ first rusher.
Come Saturday, Harmanpreet and his drag-flick colleagues need to have a perfect day to prevail over Australia.
The Indian defence had a fantastic outing against the Dutch and its man-to-man marking was a treat to watch, denying the opponents any space.
The co-ordination between the midfield and forward-line was near perfect.
India used the aerial ball to perfection to switch play from one side to the other. The long balls were also used to create scoring opportunities, and the host will continue to do so to surprise its opponents in the coming two matches.
The focus would surely be on the Indian defence, which needs to be on its toes to deny the Australians inroads. The forwards, on the other hand, need to capitalise of circle penetrations and convert the chances into goals.
India and Australia play similar style of hockey and mostly rely on attacking game. Saturday’s match promises to be an end-to-end contest.
India will round off its home Pro League campaign against Ireland on Sunday.
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