The Indians are feared for their pace, especially in the counter-attacks
#2 Belgium
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The Belgians have been known to be fearless in attack, even against the best
Which is the team that can pose a serious challenge to Australia's dream of capturing a third-consecutive World Cup title?
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The Red Lions beat Australia in a pool game at Rio and repeated the feat in the semifinal of the HWL Semifinals, at London, last year. What's more, the Olympic silver-medalists beat the Germans by a 6-1 margin in the final of the same tournament, and also got the better of the Dutch in the semifinals at Rio.
For Shane McLeod's Belgian side, the strategy is simple - take the attack to the opposition, paying scant regard to the reputation of the side in question.
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As far as the Belgians are concerned, it is not the just the strikers who possess the capability to attack. The defenders can move upfield as well, and do so quite often, with marauding runs that can offset the best-laid plans of great sides Australia and the Netherlands.
Emmanuel Stockbroekx advanced from the back line, and in tandem with Sebastien Dockier and Charlier manufactured an outstanding goal against the Kookaburras at London last year. Cedric Charlier is never short of support in the circle, backed up by the redoubtable Thomas Briels, Van Aubel, and the dangerous Tom Boon.
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About the author
Subhashish Majumdar
Subhashish has been an Indian sports journalist at Sportskeeda since 2017. He primarily covers hockey along with other Indian Sports, and endeavors to bridge the coverage gap between the multitude of Indian sports and cricket via his articles. Subhashish’s interest in Indian sports peaked after watching a few hockey and football matches live during his childhood days, and has also played Hockey, Football, Table Tennis, Badminton at school and college level.
As a journalist, he covered every single Indian hockey match at the 2018 & 2022 Commonwealth Games, 2018 & 2023 Asian Games, 2018 Women's World Cup, 2018 & 2023 Men’s World Cup and the 2021 Olympics. An interview specialist, he has conducted over 100 interviews with the Indian Men's and Women's Hockey team, and has also been part of the UK-based DesiSportsCast Podcast.
Subhashish’s favorite Indian athlete is Vandana Katariya for her relentlessness and never-say-die attitude. For him, India men's hockey team's 7-1 win over Pakistan in 2017 Hockey World League semis on the same day as India men's cricket team's loss to the same opponent in the Champions Trophy final is an iconic moment in Indian Sports history.
When not writing, he likes to spend his free time blogging, singing, jogging, and trekking.