(Start Time: 8 p.m. IST. IBNLive will Live-Blog the game 7:30 p.m. onwards)
New Delhi: Some of the lost confidence returned in the Indian dugout with a draw against Germany, and the hosts will need all of that to pull out all stops against Australia in the quarter-finals of the Hockey World League Final on Wednesday.
Hurt from beginning 2014 with back-to-back defeats, India came out of their shell with a resilient show against Germany to restore some pride ahead of the quarter-finals. Had it not been for a mistake from skipper Sardar Singh in the dying minutes, the Indians would have had a win under their belt. But a draw against the Olympic champions is no mean feat, especially after two listless defeats against England (0-2) and New Zealand (1-3), and has lifted spirits for the face-off with World Champion Kookaburras.
The Indians looked synchronised in their last Pool A game, but despite a draw finished last and now face Pool B toppers Australia. The Aussies started the tournament with a 3-2 win over Belgium before going down 0-1 to the Netherlands. But they ended the pool phase in style by hammering Argentina 6-1 to end up with six points.
Barring the penalty-corner (PC) results, India coach Terry Walsh must be satisfied with the team's improved show against the World No. 1 Germany. There was a lot more purpose about everything India did. The forwards looked more sharp, the defence a lot tighter and the midfield dictated play much more efficiently - something frustratingly missing in the first two matches.
For the PC job, India have VR Raghunath, Rupinderpal Singh and Amit Rohitdas in the squad but the conversion rate is the poorest among the eight participating teams. The team hasn't tried many variations, relying more on drag-flicks, which has made them pretty predictable.
If the Indians can pull themselves up on PCs and perform in other departments the way did against the Germans, there is no reason to not believe that they can upset the Aussies.
Walsh, who comes from Australia, could have some secrets to share about Ric Charlesworth's boys, but he admits that it's going to be an uphill task. "Australia are a quality team and it will be a big challenge for us to keep ourselves organised and create a match, but we will try to give our best," the coach said.
In the other three quarter-finals on Wednesday, England take on Belgium, Germany play Netherlands and Argentina face off against New Zealand. India will be in action in the last quarter-final of the day, which starts at 8 p.m. IST.
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