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Preview: The last time India faced Australia, they saw two quarters of measured control bookended by traditional Australia chaotic force that saw the Indians lose the match 6-4. With Jeremy Hayward likely to return for this match with his deadly penalty corner flicks and playmaking from deep, the task only gets harder for Craig Fulton’s men.
The result of that chaotic 6-4 was that India went on damage control mode for the matches that immediately succeeded the Aussie loss. With Fulton’s mantra of control taking centre stage, India have been a rather dull watch, as they attempt to minimise risk and maximise control and focus on game management.
How that will be affected by the all-action Australian game plan remains to be seen: especially if they grab two goals in the opening two games like Blake Govers did in the match at the Kalinga in Bhubaneswar.
Goalkeeper Kishan Pathak spoke about the importance of the match: “Our last encounter with Australia was a tightly contested game, and, unfortunately, we ended up on the wrong side. We’ve identified the areas that require improvement and are aware of what we need to do to turn the result in our favour this time,” he said.
“Everyone on the team is in a good headspace. We have played some good hockey and are playing well as a team. It’s a matter of taking control of those important moments. We will go out there and fight till the very end.”
