With two more matches remaining, the Indian men's hockey team will aim to end their FIH Pro League home leg campaign on a positive note. Out of the six matches they've played so far, India won two, drew thrice, grabbed the bonus point in shootouts twice and lost one.
That solitary loss came against the mighty Australians, who they face again on Saturday followed by a match against Ireland on Sunday at Rourkela's Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium.
The big match
India's match against Australia last week, a wild 6-4 win for the latter, had its consequences. It was a match where Australia started quickly, scoring twice in the opening two minutes before India answered with four goals. In the second half, the match turned again with the Aussies scoring four more goals. After the match, Fulton said that India were going for more goals, which resulted in spaces opening up for the Aussies to attack on the turnovers. He said that it was important for India to score the fifth goal, but they should've picked the right moments to attack.
In the matches that followed, India did not start that well, in terms of taking the attack to their opponents. They have typically started slow, focusing on the defence and then upping the intensity post the break. Both Spain and the Netherlands dominated the first halves against India but Fulton's team took both matches to shootouts thanks to better performances in the third and fourth quarters. While it was frustrating to watch India sit back and allow their opponents to dominate the ball, the comebacks in the last two quarters prove that they are picking the right moments to push up the intensity and are succeeding in their game plan.
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India's defence, especially after the Australia loss, has been solid even though both Spain and the Netherlands scored against them. Against both teams, India came under intense pressure but did not allow their opponents to run away with the game.
Australia are in superb form in this leg, winning all six matches while scoring 28 goals. They've conceded goals, but their ultra-aggressive brand of hockey often delivers positive results for them. They will not change their approach on Saturday, so India know that their defence will have to endure waves of attack. The main priority for India is to limit the number of penalty corner chances for Australia. Blake Govers (five penalty corner goals) and Jeremy Hayward (four penalty corner goals) are the best in the business and they don't usually miss their dragflicks. India's defence inside the circle needs to be spot-on.
Another important factor is captain Harmanpreet Singh. He has not scored in India's last three matches. It was Harmanpreet who struck the goals to turn the match around against the Aussies last time and he had also scored to help his men beat Spain in their opening match. While it's too soon to talk about his form -- he has scored four goals so far -- India cannot afford their biggest goal threat to have a four-game goal-less run.
What they said:
Krishan Pathak: "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. It's a matter of taking control of those important moments."
Eddie Ockenden: "We have another great opportunity with two huge games coming up this weekend and two quality opposition, India with a massive crowd and the Netherlands again, it's great practice for us and it's a great challenge for us moving forward so we're looking forward to it." (Via Hockey Australia).
Pro League Schedule:
February 24: Spain vs Ireland at 5.30 pm, India vs Australia at 7.30 pm.
February 25: Australia vs Netherlands at 5.30 pm, India vs Ireland at 7.30 pm.