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An India vs Australia hockey match is always keenly contested laden with a lot of emotions. A lot is at stake for the Savita Punia-led Indian women's hockey team as they gear up for the second semi-final against Australia on Saturday at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 (CWG 2022) in Birmingham.
The last time an India vs Australia match happened in a big ticket event was at the Tokyo Olympics last year, in which India won 1-0. India will be hoping to take motivation from that match while revenge will be on Australia's mind.
The Indian women's hockey team started their CWG 2022 campaign on a bright note, beating Ghana 5-0 and Wales 3-1. The lone blip in their campaign so far came against England when the Indian team looked at sea and went down 1-3.
Read: "We will fight till the end" - Vandana Katariya, ahead of CWG 2022
The Savita Punia-led team pulled up their socks and defeated Canada 3-2 in their last league game to finish second in the group and set up a semi-final clash against Australia.
England and New Zealand will play the first semi-final.
Live streaming and timing details of India vs Australia CWG 2022 semi-finals
The India vs Australia semi-final will be played on Saturday, August 6 2022. Sony Pictures Network (SPN) has acquired the broadcast rights for CWG 2022 in India. All matches will be live on Sony Six, Sony Ten 1, Sony Ten 2, Sony Ten 3 & Sony Ten 4 channels.
Live streaming will also be available on the Sony LIV app and website.
The India vs Australia semi-final will commence on August 6 at 00.45 am IST.
India vs Australia: No room for error
Australia are by far the most dominant force in the Commonwealth Games with four gold medals in six editions since hockey's introduction at the Games in 1998.
The Hockeyroos are in sublime form, having topped their pool with four wins from as many games and that too without conceding a single goal.
The Indian defense, led by skipper Savita Punia and which has the likes of Gurjit Kaur, Udita and Deep Grace Ekka, will have to be on its toes against the fast attacking Australians.
The defense crumbled when put under pressure, which was evident in India's 1-3 loss against England. Neha Goyal has been a livewire in the link-up between midfield and the forward line but she needs more support.
The strike force too will have to be at its best and the likes of Sharmila Devi, Navneet Kaur and Lalremsiani can't afford to waste scoring opportunities, especially against a strong side like Australia.
The Indian women's team need not look too far for inspiration. They just have to rewind to a year back and look at their own performance against Australia to emerge successful.
But given the firepower in both teams, the India vs Australia match promises to be a humdinger.
