Confident India ready for Australia in second test

India will back themselves to win the second game of the three match hockey test series against Australia at the newly inaugurated Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel International Stadium here on Sunday.

The series opener ended in a 2-2 draw with V Raghunath scoring twice for the hosts.

The match will take place at the stadium also scheduled to host the coveted Hero Hockey World League Final from November 27-December 6. On Sunday’s match will be the first ever international match hosted by Raipur, and a lot of crowd support is expected as it was seen in the last match at Rajnandgaon.

Reflecting on the opening game, India chief coach Roelant Oltmans said: “It was a good game, but the last minute encroachment by the opponents into our area only exposed the areas we still need to take control of. “We have addressed the concern areas and our hopeful of a better show on Sunday. The crowd support has been tremendous, and with such terrific support, we are charged to give in our best and not disappoint our fans.”