The women in blue will have their tasks cut out as they look to get their first win of the Olympics when they face Great Britain in the second match of Group B in the women’s hockey tournament in Rio 2016. On their return to Olympic hockey after a gap of 36 years, India could manage only a 2-2 draw against Japan in their opening encounter of the tournament. But morale will be high following a stunning comeback in the second half after going 2 goals down earlier in the game.
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Rani got India back into the game only 31 seconds after the start of the second half from a penalty corner before Lilima Minz equalised in the 40th minute of the game. India will look to capitalise on the momentum as they head into a difficult fixture against the much higher ranked Great Britain side who had earlier defeated World Number 3 Australia in their opening encounter 2-1 after scoring a goal in the dying moments of the third quarter of the game.
Also read: Why India is almost certainly going to win a hockey medal at the Rio Olympics, after 36 long years
Great Britain will go into this game as the favourites being ranked 7th in the world compared to India’s 13th. It will take something special for India to get anything out of this game. A draw in this fixture will be a very good result for team India but the Olympics are a very different stage to other competitions so do not be surprised if team India pulls off a stunning upset in this fixture.
Key Players
For India, the two forwards Pinky Rani and Lilima Minz will both be crucial to the team up front as India will look to keep a deep back line and break on the counter whenever possible. Set pieces should be the most likely source of goals up front. The goalkeeper Savita will be vital to the team in their efforts in keeping the Great Britain attack at bay.
For Great Britain, captain Kate Richardson-Walsh will be a key cog in the wheel as she looks to build from the back for Great Britain for the likes of Alexandra Danson and Sophie Bray upfront. The Brits will look to keep the pressure on the Indian defence and make sure they are not caught on the break. They will also have to ensure they do not concede silly set pieces which will be the most likely source of goals for India.
Match Details : Rio 2016 Women’s Hockey Tournament Group B Match 2 India Vs Great Britain
TV Channel : The Star Sports Network & Hotstar
Match Date : 9th August 2016
Match Time : 2:30 AM IST/5 PM Brazilian Time
Match Venue : Olympic Hockey Centre, Rio De Janeiro
Squads
India: Savita Punia (GK), Deep Grace Ekka, Deepika Thakur, Namita Toppo, Sunita Lakra, Sushila Chanu (C), Lilima Minz, Renuka Yadav, Nikki Pradhan, Monika Malik, Navjot Kaur, Anuradha Devi, Poonam Rani, Vandana Kataria, Preeti Dubey, Rani Rampal
Germany: Maddie Hinch (GK), Laura Unsworth, Hannah Macleod, Georgie Twigg, Helen Richardson-Walsh, Susannah Townsend, Kate Richardson-Walsh (C), Sam Quek, Alex Danson, Giselle Ansley, Sophie Bray, Hollie Webb, Shona McCallin, Lily Owsley, Nicola White, Crista Cullen
Prediction:
Great Britain are too strong for India and should beat them 3-1
