Ipoh (Malaysia), Mar 15: Out of contention for a podium finish, young Indian side led by Danish Mujtaba will hope to beat hosts Malaysia in the final round robin league encounter of 22nd Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey tournament.
As far as the points table is concerned, title contenders Australia with eight points from four matches need only a draw against New Zealand to seal their place in the final.
For the ‘Black Sticks’ at six points, only a win will suffice to nose ahead of their traditional rivals.
Sitting pretty are the hosts Malaysia, with eight points and the advantage of knowing the equation to play their cards accordingly to clinch their deserved place in Sunday’s summit clash.
India with three points from four matches at the best can qualify for a third-place play-off
India coach Michael Nobbs conceded that though outplayed by New Zealand, the team would strive their best to derive meaningful result from the last two matches (including play-off).
“Rallying behind a developmental side, I view every match as an opportunity to identify grey areas and work on to erase those. With 10 boys in the junior ranks, the event has served the purpose it intended for us.
“Try as they might, the boys just could not raise their level of game like the one against Pakistan. There are a lot of positives for the boys in their learning process. It takes time to translate the learning into results and patience is the key,” added Nobbs. (PTI)
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