Indian hockey team look to plug chinks in armour

By Mihir Vasavda | Place: New Delhi | Agency: DNA

Defence will be the key for India when they take on the fancied Australia in their second Pool A tie at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here on Thursday.

The world champions showed why they are overwhelming favourites in this tournament, scripting a very comfortable 9-0 win over Scotland on Wednesday morning. The result is a warning sign for India, who were far from impressive in their 3-2 win over Malaysia on Tuesday.

Australia have an upper edge over India in this encounter. But what worries India coach Jose Brasa is the way India defended. “If we defend the same way against Australia, we’ll be gone,” Brasa said. In current form, India will have to play out of their skins to come anywhere close to match Australia.

The Kookaburras have been invincible under their legendary coach Ric Charlesworth. Under him, Australia have won the World Cup and the Champions Trophy this year. They are expected to successfully defend their CWG title, having claimed the gold medal in every edition of the quadrennial event since the sport’s introduction in 1998 Kuala Lumpur Games.

But Charlesworth, despite the comfortable win over Scotland,acknowledges that India will be tough to beat at home. While the Australians can’t stop to talk about the goals, India is fretting over its fragile back line. “They are the top team in the world and we will have to defend well. We will have to change a few things. We have to plug those holes in defence,” Brasa said.

What is heartening for India is the form of star drag-flicker Sandeep Singh, who has a 90 per cent penalty corner conversion rate in international tournaments. Sandeep, who played for a little period against Malaysia, is expected to feature more against the formidable Aussies.