CWG 22: Year after Olympic heroics, it be time for India vs Australia in a knockout match again
Nearly precisely a one year previously, the Indian ladies folk’s hockey team met Australia in a knockout match and place on a masterclass. This used to be at the Olympics, Gurjit Kaur scored from India’s handiest penalty nook in the match and Savita Punia pulled off as many as nine saves to disclaim the Australians in a ancient match. The Indian team qualified for the semifinals for the predominant time in the Olympics. It used to be certainly the match of the one year.
Now India face Australia again in a knockout match. Every groups are meeting for the predominant time since their match in Tokyo. But once more, the stakes are high, this time it be a semifinal of the Commonwealth Video games 2022. A take on Friday will verify a medal and the winning team will abolish a shot at the gold.
How comprise India and Australia fared since Tokyo Olympics?
Loads has changed since their closing meeting, but plenty additionally didn’t.
India comprise evolved as a team in the closing one one year below Janneke Schopman. They play attacking hockey, salvage extra potentialities and there is now not any Rani Rampal to flip the match round alongside with her sheer brilliance. This team debuted in the Pro League after the Olympics and carried out third, sooner than Belgium, Spain, England and Germany.
Nonetheless they additionally persevered a disappointing World Cup appropriate sooner than the Commonwealth Video games finishing ninth among 16 groups. They didn’t salvage it to the quarterfinals, lost to Spain and Fresh Zealand and drew in opposition to England and China.
Australia had been the favourites to take in opposition to India in Tokyo. They once extra delivery favourites to beat India in Birmingham and progress to essentially the most provocative. Unlike India, Australia failed to play in the Pro League as a result of COVID-19 drag restrictions but that did comprise an impact on their preparations for the World Cup.
This team, with very miniature match apply, came to the World Cup and acquired the bronze medal. They conceded appropriate one scheme and scored eight until they met Netherlands in the semifinals the put they narrowly lost 1-0. They had been again down 1-0 in opposition to Germany in the bronze medal playoff but produced a superb comeback in essentially the most provocative quarter (Steph Kershaw scored twice) to take 2-1 and secured the bronze.
How comprise India performed at CWG to this level?
The agonize with India at the World Cup used to be that they played smartly, created alternatives to rating but didn’t convert the bulk of potentialities. Penalty nook conversions used to be a colossal agonize, and the topic serene persists at the CWG.
Pick into anecdote these numbers:
India beat Ghana 5-0 in the opening match, earned 11 penalty corners and transformed appropriate 1.
India beat Wales 3-1 of their 2nd match, earned 7 penalty corners and transformed 3.
India lost in opposition to England 1-3 of their third match, earned 8 penalty corners and transformed appropriate 1.
India beat Canada 3-2 of their most provocative team match, earned 3 penalty corners and scored 2 targets.
Gurjit Kaur’s dragflicks are serene now not having an impact for India. She had 15 potentialities from the penalty corners and scored appropriate 2 targets.
The third scheme used to be a penalty stroke conversion in opposition to Ghana. For sure, she didn’t radically change any of her penalty corners in opposition to England and Canada – India’s key opponents in the team. The targets from penalty corners seem like coming by skill of deflections from Vandana who scored three in the same model at the CWG 2022.
Moreover, it appears penalty nook defence has develop into an topic now. India conceded 6 targets in 4 matches to this level. Five of these came from penalty corners. The first runners need to serene’ve performed better by way of shielding goalkeeper Savita.
How comprise Australia performed at CWG to this level?
In the period in-between Australia comprise conceded 0 targets and scored 16 in in 4 matches, having played in opposition to Kenya, South Africa, Fresh Zealand and Australia.
They earned 35 penalty corners but transformed 6. Their hardest opponent in the team stage used to be Fresh Zealand and they dominated the match with 31 circle penetrations to Fresh Zealand’s 14 but would possibly perchance perchance take it by 1-0 handiest.
They scored through Kaitlin Nobbs’ penalty stroke, which has been moderately the weapon. In Birmingham, Nobbs has scored 5 targets and 4 of these had been penalty stroke conversions.
Who are essentially the most crucial gamers?
For India, it must be Lalremsiami, albeit with a caveat. She used to be if truth be told spectacular in the need to-take match in opposition to Canada. She space up the 2nd scheme alongside with her suave movement and scored the winner in the fourth quarter to make certain India salvage it to the semifinals.
On the different hand, she acquired injured slack in the match as India had been taking a penalty nook. She used to be in shocking anxiety and had to leave the self-discipline. It is but unknown if she will play the semifinal and this also can very smartly be a extensive blow if she misses the match in opposition to Australia.
For Australia, it’s miles goalkeeper Jocelyn Bartram has been a rock in defence and her efficiency in the World Cup and the CWG made a extensive incompatibility to the team. The team takes pride in retain cleansheets and India will wish to work if truth be told now not easy to interrupt the defence.
The semi-most provocative will be 6 August at 12.45 AM IST
