India vs Great Britain women's hockey bronze medal match: Preview, prediction, when and where to watch (IST)
The Indian women take on defending champions Great Britain in the bronze medal match of the women's field hockey competition at the Tokyo Olympics.
The girls from Great Britain, who had shocked the Netherlands in the final of the 2016 Games in Rio, went down by a 1-5 margin against Alyson Annan's world champions in the semifinals while the Indians lost to Argentina 1-2.
As per the latest FIH rankings, which have been updated midway through the Games, the Indians have risen three slots and are now ranked seventh while Great Britain (England) are ranked fourth.
The revised rankings better reflect some of the close contests that both sides have been involved in over the last three years, most notably the 1-1 draw in the group match of the 2018 Women's World Cup in London.
Back then, the hosts chased Neha Goyal's first-half goal as they frantically looked for an equalizer that eluded them until six minutes from time.
One match against England that the Indians don't want to be reminded of is the 0-6 defeat in the bronze medal match of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Back then, Harendra Singh's team flattered to deceive by beating England in the group game only to go down in the all-important medal game.
Coach Sjoerd Marijne was not too happy with the way the Indians performed during the course of their 1-4 defeat against Great Britain in the group stage at Tokyo. But Rani and Co. are unlikely to repeat any of their mistakes in the big match.
The Indians held their own against both Australia and Argentina and will fancy their chances against Mark Hager's team whose morale could be low following a heavy defeat in the semifinals.
The Indian eves will need to find a way to get past goalkeeper Maddie Hinch, who denied Sjoerd Marijne's chargers repeatedly during the pool game.
FIH Rankings:
India - 7
Great Britain (England) - 4
Prediction:
Given what is at stake, Rani and Co. are likely to be conservative in their approach, but will press hard in the opening minutes.
The Indian forwards, who looked a wee bit off-color in the semi-finals, are expected to display more creativity in the attacking third.
Score Prediction:
India 2 - Great Britain 1
When and where to watch:
The match will be streamed live on Sony LIV and across the Sony Sports Network. Doordarshan will also broadcast the match in India on Friday, August 6, at 7:00 am IST.
Related: Indian hockey is back where it belongs - How the Olympic bronze can spark a revolution for the sport in India