Kookaburras coach Colin Batch has urged his males to not play scared as they search for high gear of their World Cup quarter-final in opposition to Spain.
The three-time Cup winners and world No.1 aspect have blown cold and warm in India through the pool stage.
Robust defeats of France and South Africa sandwiched a comeback 3-Three draw in opposition to 2016 Olympic champions Argentina that served as a wake-up name earlier than Tuesday’s must-win conflict in Bhubaneswar on India’s north-east coast.
“It takes some time to get to the extent and typically whenever you play at your greatest at first of the match and you are not engaged on the small element, it may not occur within the crucial knockout matches,” Batch mentioned of the staff’s Indian kind.
“We’re nonetheless constructing. We have nonetheless bought rather a lot to study and that is the place we’re in the intervening time.
“This can be a World Cup and we should not be frightened of something. We have nice perception within the group and rather a lot to show.”
Spain was nicely overwhelmed by England and India in pool video games, solely scraping into the ultimate eight with an extra-time shootout defeat of Malaysia within the crossover qualifier.
Nevertheless it drew with the Kookaburras on the 2021 Olympics and beat them within the version earlier than that.
Batch’s males are not any strangers to tight quarter-final wins, the aspect needing a shootout to defeat the Netherlands on the best way to Olympic silver in Tokyo.
“We now have been by way of it various instances and have not at all times dealt with a quarter-final in addition to what we’d like,” the coach mentioned.
“It was actually intense in opposition to the Netherlands in Tokyo and we’re anticipating the same sort of match.
“We have simply bought to put on Spain down, not be impatient and convey our depth to the sport.”
If Australia beats Spain, it is going to face the winner of England and both Germany or France in a Friday semi-final, with the ultimate on Sunday night time in Bhubaneswar.
