Bhubaneswar (Odisha): The Indian Men's Hockey Team will look to continue their winning momentum when they take on Australia in their third match of FIH Pro League 2023/24 at Kalinga Hockey Stadium here on Thursday. They started their season with a 4-1 win over Spain and registered a thrilling 2-2 (4 - 2 SO) shootout win against the defending Champions the Netherlands in their first two matches of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24.
Chief Coach Craig Fulton said, "It's been a good performance so far from the team, but there's a lot to improve, and we are trying to make the most out of these matches. Playing back-to-back matches against top teams is always tough, but we got a good break to recover and now the focus is on the last two games of the Bhubaneswar leg," Fulton was quoted as saying in a media statement issued by Hockey India.
Australia, on the other hand, have registered two wins in two matches so far in Bhubaneswar. They began their campaign with a 4-3 win against Spain and defeated Ireland 5-0 in their second match. The last time India and Australia faced each other was during the previous edition of the FIH Hockey Pro League in Rourkela. It was India that got better of the Aussies, having registered a 5-4 win and a 2-2 (4 - 3 SO) shootout win in the two-legged tie.
Fulton added, "It is surely going to be a tough match. They are coming off solid back-to-back wins. For us, there were a few learnings from the first two games, and our focus will be to improve and better our performance. We are up for the challenge and look to keep the momentum going."
India will then take on Ireland in their last match of the Bhubaneswar leg on Friday before moving to Rourkela for the return fixtures.
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