After India's high intensity battle against the Dutch, where their defensive strengths came to the fore, Craig Fulton's team will hope to do much of the same and frustrate Australia in their third match of the FIH Pro League campaign in Bhubaneswar on Thursday.
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India started the tournament on a winning note, beating Spain 4-1 last Saturday and went on to draw their match against a strong Netherlands team. Eventually, India took home a bonus point thanks to PR Sreejesh's shootout heroics.
India vs Australia - familiar foes with contrasting styles
It's going to be an interesting tactical battle between two teams who play with contrasting styles and philosophies on the pitch. Recent matches involving both the teams were generally high scoring with India also playing aggressive and expansive hockey under previous coach Graham Reid.
Fulton's approach is completely different, with more focus put on solidifying the defense. While India did concede twice against the Dutch, their defending made it tougher for their opponents to create multiple chances through the game. When the Dutch had the ball in their half, trying to start an attacking move, almost all 11 Indian players were in defensive positions. India's defending inside the circle was also solid, with players getting their tackles spot on.
Meanwhile, Australia have scored nine goals in two matches (4-3 and 5-0 wins over Spain and Ireland respectively) but their defence has been a worry, especially against Spain. They started quickly to go up 3-0 against Spain side but ended up conceding three goals as the match progressed. Lachlan Sharp's goal in the final quarter settled the match in their favour but not before they came under intense pressure as Spain pushed hard to find an equaliser in the final few minutes.
Penalty corner defence will be another key issue for both the teams. Both teams have world class dragflickers in Harmanpreet Singh for India and Jeremy Hayward and Blake Govers for Australia. Both teams will bank on their dragflickers to start the game quickly and take the lead early on.
The last time India and Australia faced each other was at the previous edition of the Pro League in Rourkela. India got the better of the Aussies, having registered a 5-4 win and a 2-2 (4-3) shootout win in the two-legged tie.
However, India's recent record against the Aussies has been dismal. Before the two matches in the Pro League, India managed to beat them just once in 10 matches. The defeats include a 7-0 thrashing in the 2022 Commonwealth Games final and a 7-1 loss at the Tokyo Olympics.
What they said:
Fulton: "It is surely going to be a tough match. They are coming off solid back-to-back wins. For us, there were a few learnings from the first two games, and our focus will be to improve and better our performance. We are up for the challenge and look to keep the momentum going."
Tom Craig: "There's nothing quite like playing India in India, it's one of life's great treats... we hope the crowd comes out in force because there's nothing quite like it." (Via Hockey Australia).
Pro League Bhubaneswar-leg schedule:
February 15: Spain vs Ireland at 5.30 pm; India vs Australia at 7.30 pm.
February 16: Netherlands vs Australia at 5.30 pm; India vs Ireland at 7.30 pm.