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The Indian women’s hockey team will look to bounce back from the disappointment of their 3-0 defeat in the hands of Great Britain as they look to face Australia in the third of their Group B games in the women’s hockey tournament at Rio 2016. India were totally outplayed and outgunned by the Bronze medallists from London 2012.
However, it will be important now for Team India to make sure that their heads do not drop as they face Australia in their next encounter. Australia will be no pushovers as the team is ranked number 3 in the world in the FIH world ranking, and will most likely look to respond to their poor performance against USA.
India needs to be wary of a backlash from the Aussies while at the same time must keep their heads straight and defence tight if they are to get anything out of this game. The Indian women’s team, who are making a comeback to the grand stage after 36 years, will need to make sure the occasion does not get to them as look to take on an Australia side that has severely underperformed thus far in the tournament.
Key Players
For India, Lilima Minz and Rani will need to feed on scraps and make sure they hold the ball high up the field long enough for the defence to provide cover. But Sushila, Sunita Lakra and Deepika will be the key cogs in the wheel if India are to keep their defence tight and protect the goalkeeper, Deep Ekka from the barrage of Australian attacks.
Penalty corners remain the most likely source of goals for the team. India has to make sure they do not concede cheap penalty corners or lose the ball through a bad pass and keep themselves organised to get anything out of this game.
Australia will need to make sure they dictate the tempo of the play and captain Madonna Blyth will have to ensure they hold possession and create opportunities for Australia to capitalise on. Kathryn Slattery and Georgina Parker will be the most likely source of goals upfront for the Aussies who look to hit back following back to back defeats in the hands of USA and Great Britain.
Match Details : Rio 2016 Women’s Hockey Tournament Group B Match 2 India Vs Australia
TV Channel : The Star Sports Network & Hotstar
Match Date : 10th August 2016
Match Time : 7:30 PM IST/11 AM Brazilian Time
Match Venue : Olympic Hockey Centre, Rio De Janeiro
Squads
India: Savita Punia (GK), Deep Grace Ekka, Deepika Thakur, Namita Toppo, Sunita Lakra, Sushila Chanu (C), Lilima Minz, Renuka Yadav, Nikki Pradhan, Monika Malik, Navjot Kaur, Anuradha Devi, Poonam Rani, Vandana Kataria, Preeti Dubey, Rani Rampal
Australia: Gabrielle Nance , Brooke Peris, Casey Sablowski, Kirstin Dwyer, Jodie Kenny, Karri McMahon, Madonna Blyth (C), Edwina Bone, Georgina Morgan, Jane Claxton, Georgie Parker, Kathryn Slattery, Mariah Williams, Emily Smith, Rachael Lynch (GK), Grace Stewart
Prediction : A 3-1 Victory for Australia who should prove to be too strong for the Indian team.
