'We know what we need to do to turn the result,' says Krishan Pathak ahead of Australia clash

The Indian men's hockey team will take on Australia in FIH Pro League 2023-24 at Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium, Rourkela, on Saturday in what will be their second meeting in India in less than a month.

Ahead of the high-octane clash, Krishan B Pathak, the Indian goalkeeper, said, "Our last encounter with Australia was a tightly contested game, and, unfortunately, we ended up on the wrong side. We've identified the areas that require improvement and are aware of what we need to do to turn the result in our favour this time."

India kicked off its campaign in Bhubaneswar with a convincing 4-1 victory over Spain, followed by a thrilling 2-2 (4-2) shootout win against the Netherlands, the top-ranked team in the world.

India, however, lost its Australia 4-6 before bouncing back with a 1-0 win over Ireland to finish the Bhubaneswar leg on a high.

“Everyone on the team is in a good headspace. We have played some good hockey and are playing well as a team. It’s a matter of taking control of those important moments. We will go out there and fight till the very end,” Pathak added.

In Rourkela, where the second leg of the Pro League is currently underway, India defeated Spain in a shootout (8-7) after the score was tied at 2-2 in regulation time.

This was followed by another thrilling match that went to a penalty shootout after the score read 1-1 in regulation time with India losing the shootout to the Netherlands 2-4.

As India faces Australia on Saturday evening, the Men in Blue will look to draw inspiration from the fact that they won on both occasions in Rourkela when the sides faced off in the FIH Pro League 2022-23, winning the games 5-4 and 2-2 (4-3 SO).

India's match against Australia will kick off at 7:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST).