5-time winners, Australia and India clash on Sunda

India will have had enough time to recharge themselves when they take on Australia in their crucial league match of the Azlan Shah Cup on Sunday. Having lost their first match to Korea narrowly despite taking a 2-0 lead, it was commendable the way the team fought back against Great Britain to win 3-1.
India’s last meeting with Australia was in the final of the commonwealth games 2010, when Ric Charlesworth’s team thrashed India 8-0. And while many would be expecting that scoreline to play on the players’ minds, their performance against Britain indicates that this team may not be as mentally fragile as expected.

Both Australia and India tied at five titles each in Azlan Shah, this may well be an opportunity for the Indians to go one up on the world champions in at least one area

While coach Harendra Singh has said that that the GB match is history now, the players themselves are not too awed of the Australians. A senior player said that while the aussies deserve respect for being no. 1 , that respect will not mean that they will get a free hand on the field.

“One, they are also without their top players and we also do not have many of our best players here. So it will be an even match. And two, this is not a team that enters with shoulders dropped anymore against big teams. We know we can play well and are trying our combinations here. Most importantly, the youngsters are not carrying any baggage. Despite the 8-0 loss in CWG, we learnt our lessons. That is the key part. I am sure we will do much better tomorrow,” he said.

Australia played their first match against Malaysia on Friday and just managed to scrape past through a final seconds winner through a penalty corner by Jason Wilson. They were scrappy but that does not mean they will repeat the mistakes against India. “The Australian team has depth in its ranks even without several key players. It is not unusual for them to start slowly, so one must not read too much into the performance yesterday,” harendra said.

For India, the most important thing will be make sure the Australians do not get space to move. Against Britain also, while the overall effort was good, there were times when the Indians, playing man-to-man marking, lost their bearings. Often, one of the key players on the flanks was left unmarked and that ultimately helped England pull one back. Against Australia, such mistakes may prove costly.

Also, the Indian attack needs to get sharper. While it may be understandable that the lack of a solid defence means all the players have been forced to pull back, that does not excuse the close chances that have gone waste. Plus, the left flank remains India’s weakness – there is no one to build up an attack from that side and they also have been unable to thwart attacks from that side.

On the other hand, Australia’s performance against Malaysia may not be a reference point but some of their senior players did seem a tad slower than they used to be. The Malaysian defence was impressive and effect showed in Australia’s desperation. Australians love to attack and go for the goal at every opportunity but their biggest advantage is in the mind.

Charlesworth may be a master tactician and with a brilliant record – Australia winning all three major competitions last year, the CWG, the World Cup and the Champions Trophy is proof of that – but even the best teams have weaknesses. A close match or no space to move for a long time frustrates them and they are drawn into committing mistakes in desperation. If India manage to thwart them from not only scoring early but also keep them quiet for a long time, it will be half the battle won.

With Saturday being a rest day, the players got a well-deserved break to prepare themselves for bigger challenges ahead. The coach has already said that the competition is important for testing India’s pool of players ahead of the qualifiers. “The key is to stick to the gameplan and that revolves around maintaining a sound structure throughout 70 minutes.

It’s important to judge if the current pool of players have the ability to perform at a high level,” harendra said.

That will be tested severely against Australia.