The Indian women's hockey team has managed to collect only one point in the Rio Olympics so far and is in serious need of a victory as the players prepare to face Australia on Wednesday.
After a spirited performance against Japan resulting in an entertaining 2-2 draw, where all the players stood up to task, the team had failed to turn up the heat against Great Britain. India lost to GB 2-0 in a clash dominated by the European team, which has been the best in the women's competition so far.
If the Indian players are to have any chance of reaching the quarterfinals, they need to take their game to a different level in the remaining matches. With only four teams from a group set to qualify for the last eight, India needs to produce a positive result against Australia to stay in the race.
The last two group games may end up being difficult as they are against USA and Argentina.
India have players and experience to register victory, but needs to play as a collective unit on Wednesday. Players like Poonam Rani and Deep Grace Ekka need to shoulder responsibility, and the entire team will look for an inspirational performance from skipper Sunila Chanu.
On the other hand, India's opponent, Australia, are yet to earn any point in the competition, suffering losses to GB and US. But, one should not read too much into these defeats as GB and US have proved to be strong teams.
Australia will fancy their chances against India as a positive result will help play an important role in increasing their chances of reaching the quarterfinals.
Women's hockey Rio 2016: India vs Australia is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. IST (11 a.m local time, 3 p.m. BST, 10 a.m EST) start on Aug. 10.
Where to watch live
India: TV: Star Sports Network, DD National. Live streaming: Hotstar.
Australia: TV: Channel 7, 7Two and 7Mate. Live Streaming: Channel 7 online.
UK: TV: BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Four. Live streaming: BBC Red Button.
USA: TV: NBC Sports. Live streaming: NBC Olympics.
