Having lost six out of the seven matches in the Hockey Pro League (women) a desperate India hopes to put up better showing in their last two games against Australia and the USA respectively at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium here on 17th and 18th February.
India lost four of the five matches played in the first leg of the league in Bhubaneswar .
After suffering a 1-2 defeat in their first match against China, the host lost 1-3 to the Netherlands and 0-3 to Australia before beating the United States 3-1 .
In their first match of the Rourkela leg, India took the lead early in the game but China came back strongly to win the game 2-1.
The host then lost 0-1 to the Netherlands.
Speaking ahead of the clash with Australia, Captain Savita said, “We lost the last encounter against Australia but we are focused on securing the win this time and we will give our one hundred per cent.
”Australia plays a similar style to us, they are exceptional at transferring their balls and their finishing is top notch but we will aim to nullify this and win our one-on-one battles. We are as good as any team playing this tournament so we will give it our all when we step out on the field as these are crucial matches for us.”
Australia have had more favourable results in the recent past against India but the hosts will look to replicate their 1-0 win over Australia in the 2020 Olympics Quarter-Final when they take them on at Rourkela on Saturday night.
On the other hand, India has beaten the USA four out of the last six occasions they played against them.