IPOH: A less than impressive India fought back from a goal down to beat Japan 2-1 in their opening match of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on Wednesday.
Kenji Kitazato had given Japan a shock lead through a penalty corner in the second minute of the second quarter but goals from Harmanpreet Singh and skipper Sardar Singh ensured India began their campaign on a positive note.
India’s performance left a lot to be desired especially in the opening quarter but they pushed the attacking envelope a bit further in the second half and the move paid rich dividends with Harmanpreet’s sweetly struck penalty corner; the first for India.
India went in at half-time with the scores tied but they quickly redressed the issue with Sardar’s well taken goal from a close angle after neat stick work.
Speaking after the match, coach Roelant Oltmans opined that they always knew they could find a way back into the contest. “Not even for a second, no (if he thought Japan would win the contest). We had a slow start to the match but I think we picked up control and had lots of circle penetration as the match went on.”
Wednesday’s results: Pakistan 3-1 Canada, India 2-1 Japan, Malaysia 3-3 New Zealand.
Thursday’s fixtures (all times IST): Australia vs India (1.35 pm), New Zealand vs Canada (3.35 pm), Japan vs Malaysia (5.55 pm).