The Indian women's team will play Australia in a virtual quarterfinal match of the women's hockey World Cup here on Sunday, hoping to earn a spot in the final four.
India's first second-round match last Friday ended in a 0-2 loss to the world No. 1 and reigning champions, the Netherlands, but they are still in the running for the round of four.
India will not play China again under the new format, and their first-round points will be carried over.The Netherlands have six points after defeating Australia and India in the first round, while India had one point from their first draw with China. After a 1-1 draw with Australia in the second round, China now has two points, while Australia has two points.India's path to the semifinals is simple: a victory over Australia would advance the ninth-ranked Indian team if the Netherlands defeats China.
But things would get more tricky if China were to shock the Netherlands, who are currently playing well. In the event that Australia and India tie, each of these three teams would have two points apiece, necessitating the use of goal differential.

China now leads with a goal differential of zero, while Australia and India are both down by two goals.However, one of the main advantages of India's campaign has been their defensive tenacity.
In the goalless draw with England, goalkeepers Savita and Bichoo Devi made a number of vital saves, and India was able to successfully defend all 12 penalty corners. Additionally, they prevented the Netherlands from scoring from open play despite constant pressure, limiting them to just two goals from PCs.

While the backline held firm against one of the best attacking units, Captain Salima Tete made some excellent defensive interventions.Complementing that defensive strength with increased offensive efficiency is the difficult part.India struggled to convert after creating opportunities against the Netherlands. Deepika, who scored six goals during the Nations Cup victory in New Zealand, will be expected to lead once more.

Australia, on the other hand, hasn't had the best season. The two-time world champions finished second to the hosts in the World Cup qualifications in Santiago and seventh in the 2025–26 Pro League.
India is acquainted with the Hockeyroots, having visited Australia prior to winning the Nations Cup. India won one, lost two, and drew one of the four highly contested games between the two teams.Coach Sjoerd Marijne, meantime, said that his players' schedule has been taxing after they had to play two high-stress games against the Netherlands and England on consecutive days.

"On two days in a row, we played two important games. "The players ultimately made technical errors, but I'm not saying we would have won if that hadn't happened," Marijne remarked.Although the team had good intentions, they need to have taken advantage of the possibilities. Against these squads, we don't have many opportunities. I now view the game against Australia as a quarterfinal, where a victory would advance us to the semifinals."India has surpassed expectations in a number of areas for a squad that includes 11 World Cup rookies.
They defeated South Africa 6-1, held China to a draw in their first match, and then held England goalless to advance to the next round.

Bichoo Devi's late save against England highlighted India's defensive depth, while Savita, the tournament's most seasoned player with 317 international games, has led from the back.
While Sunelita Toppo, Baljit Kaur, Sakshi, Shilpi, Lalremsiami, and Neha have demonstrated the capacity to cause problems for opponents, Navneet Kaur has had a significant impact in attack.India must, however, convert that promise into goals when playing Australia.A victory would put them within striking distance of a World Cup semifinal, suggesting that Sunday's match is the quarterfinal Marijne thinks it is.






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