The Indians are feared for their pace, especially in the counter-attacks
#1 Australia
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The Aussies have a tradition of being fast and aggressive
No hockey-playing nation, in recent times, has been as consistent as the Australians have, and Colin Batch's defending champions look to be the most complete side in the competition - the men up front, in particular, have proven to be unstoppable over the years.
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While it may be argued that the gap between the Kookaburras and the rest of the hockey world is narrowing - and the Aussies are no longer able to brush aside teams like India by huge margins (as they so often did in the past), few can contest the fact that the defending champions still begin most tournaments as the favourites.
Any team in the world who have players of the calibre of Trent Mitton, Jake Whetton, and Blake Govers, in their ranks could well wreak havoc against the best defending units, but the as far as the Aussies are concerned, the quality of talent is bolstered by a never-ending supply of fresh legs.
Dylan Wotherspoon has what it takes to be among the best too, while Timothy Brand displayed in the Champions Trophy that the flow of talent Down Under never seems to ebb.
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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.