Tokyo Olympics: Hockey Day 4 — India vs Spain — Preview, schedule, Live Streaming, when and where to watch

The Indian men's hockey team will attempt to get their 2020 Tokyo Olympic campaign back on track when they take on Spain in their third Group A encounter on Tuesday.

Recuperation will be the key for a side that seemed unprepared to face a marauding Australian outfit that came at the Indians harder than they have in the recent past. It seems more than likely that the Australians had a solid plan in place to counter the Indians who have been gradually closing in on the World No 1 team over the last few years.

Rupinder Pal Singh and Birendra Lakra were rather slow to react in defence, allowing the Australians free access as they zipped in and out of the Indian circle unchallenged. Crosses that needed to be intercepted landed perilously close to the danger zone with Sreejesh left to fend for himself on more than one occasion.

When the Indians return to the pitch on Tuesday morning, one hopes that the support staff would have done just about enough to erase the mental scars of a young side before another crucial encounter against the 2019 EuroHockey Championship silver medalists.

The Spaniards have oodles of experience in their side - a midfield that can boast of well over 800 international caps of experience in total with the likes of skipper Miquel Delas, and his counterparts David Alegre and Marc Salles while Indian hockey fans will no doubt recall their Ranchi Rhinos goalkeeping hero who enthralled one and all in the Hockey India League.

Quico Cortes- a veteran of many battles and still going strong at age 38 is one custodian who is tough to replace having been part of the Spanish side that won bronze in the 2006 World Cup and 2008 Olympic Games and also did his bit for the Rhinos when they reached the top in the inaugural season of the HIL.

Comfortable wins against the Red Sticks during the 2019 Antwerp tour will no doubt reassure the Indians ahead of the group clash as also the knowledge that the Spaniards failed to impress in the 2020 Hockey Pro League. A fifth-place finish in the 2020 EuroHockey Championships in June was not what Spain was hoping for but unlike the Indians, they did have the benefit of some vital match practise before the Games, unlike the Indians who had none since April.

The Indians would be expected to overcome the Spanish challenge unscathed and failure to do would put the side under enormous pressure after having already conceded 9 goals in just 2 matches.

The Indian forward line has yet to click as it was purely the heroics of Sreejesh and the skill of the PC brigade that helped the Indians earn 3 points against New Zealand. The failure of the strikers to find the back of the net invariably leads to the pressure being piled on the rest of the side and the younger men up-front will need to find their rhythm in order to justify their selections before the going gets any tougher.

The match begins at 0630 IST on Tuesday, July 27.

Where to watch?

You can catch all the action LIVE in Sony Sports Network channels in India. Here are the details of broadcasters in some more countries:

Japan: The Japan Consortium

USA: NBC Universal

UK: BBC, Eurosport

China: CCTV

Australia: Seven Network

Germany: ARD-ZDF

Brazil: Grupo Globo, Bandsports

Spain: RTVE

Italy: RAI

France: Eurosport

South Africa: SABC