India have played some decent hockey in the ongoing Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, and is on the second place currently. India will hope to keep the unbeaten run intact when they face Australia on Tuesday.
India will go into the clash against Australia with their heads held high after a draw against Great Britain and a 3-0 win against New Zealand in the previous matches. India are aware that a win against Australia will give them the confidence to take on any team in the competition.
The Men in Blue are always a threat in the offensive, but the defence could use some reinforcement. India will mainly depend on penalty corners, which is going to be a test for Australia. With the likes of Harmanpreet Singh, armed with powerful drag flicks, in the squad, India will be looking to earn penalty corners to move the needle. However, India cannot rely on penalty corners alone.
Meanwhile, coach Roelant Oltmans is quite pleased with the rapport between midfield players and forwards.
"We want to continue improving. That's the objective we had before coming to Ipoh, but we surely want good results. One of the most important things for me is finding the cohesion between the forwards and the midfield. We have now managed to do that," Hindustan Times quoted Oltmans as saying.
Australia are always a dangerous team, and after a below par performance against New Zealand in the opening game– which ended in a draw, Aussies thrashed Malaysia 6-1. If Australia can come up with a similar performance, India could be in all sorts of trouble.
The match is expected to be a cracker as many see India and Australia as prime contenders for the title. Australia coach Colin Batch does not feel it is fair to talk about India-Australia final already.
"It is premature to start taking about the final. There are three teams on four points and we are striving to earn a place in the title contest," said Batch.
Where to watch live
Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey 2017 match between India vs Australia is slated to start at 4.05 pm local time (1:35 pm IST).
The live coverage of the match will be available on Star Sports 2/HD, and live streaming on hotstar.com
