Paris Olympics 2024: Indian men's hockey team to battle Australia in crucial Pool B clash
By Sreejith CR | First Published Aug 2, 2024, 2:42 PM ISTAfter going down 2-1 to Belgium, India will be desperate to bounce back against Australia and secure a top two finish in Pool B. The Men in Blue are currently occupying third spot in the table, with seven points from four matches, just two adrift of second-placed Kookaburras.
The Indian men's hockey team is set to face the silver medalists from the Tokyo Olympics, Australia, in their final Pool B match at Yves du Manoir Stadium in Colombes on Friday (August 2). Despite their 2-1 loss to Belgium on Thursday, the Men in Blue are assured of a top-four finish and qualification for the knockout stages. Meanwhile, the Craig Fulton-led side will aim to secure a top-two finish to avoid facing the top teams from Pool A, which could be Germany, the Netherlands, or Great Britain.
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Presently, Belgium is at the top of Pool B with 12 points, while Australia holds the second position with nine points. India is in third place with seven points from four matches, tied with fourth-placed Argentina. New Zealand and Ireland have lost all four of their matches and are now out of the tournament.
After victories over New Zealand and Ireland, either side of a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Argentina, India suffered their first defeat in Paris against Belgium. The Men in Blue took the lead through Abhishek's stunning strike in the 18th-minute. It was the first time Fulton's side drew the first blood in this edition of the tournament, but the reigning champions fought back to level the score through Thibeau Stockbroekx (33') and then veteran John-John Dohmen (44') struck the winning goal to seal the three points for the World's No.1 side.
Today's match against Australia will decide where India will finish in Pool B. The Men in Blue can finish as high as second if they beat the Kookaburras in Paris and if other results go their way. Meanwhile, India will be wary of the fact that they were thrashed 7-1 by the Aussies in the pool stages of the last edition of the Olympics in Tokyo. Nevertheless, Team India went on to secure a bronze medal in the Japanese capital.
India captain Harmanpreet Singh is second in the top scorers list with four scalps to his name and the 28-year-old will be India's best bet from Penalty corners. However, Fulton's side will need to improve their penalty corner conversion rate, having found the back of the net only four times from 24 PC’s. India have done well when it comes to making circle entries, while the midfielders have been precise with their long overhead balls.
Though the attackers haven't fired on all cylinders, scoring just seven goals so far, the defence has been pretty solid, conceding only five goals. Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh has been solid, while the likes of Jarmanpreet Singh and Amit Rohidas have been consistent. Sreejesh played a crucial role in the 1-1 draw with Argentina, denying Maico Casella a penalty stroke. The 36-year-old managed to keep his first clean sheet of the competition versus Ireland on Wednesday.
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