BHUBANESWAR: In a nail-biting encounter, defending champions Australia retained their dominant record against India by scripting a 4-3 win in the first match of their FIH Hockey Pro League tie at the Kalinga Stadium here on Friday. World No 2 Australia did not waste any time in establishing their class on the match, scoring in just the sixth minute of play. The hosts started the match on a slower note in comparison to their last four matches. That was a factor as they suffered back-to-back defeats in the Pro League.
Australian skipper Aran Zalewski, after a great run that took him past the Indian midfield, pushed the ball to full-back Lachlan Sharp. His strike took a deflection off Dylan Wotherspoon’s stick and went in for Australia’s opener. Before the end of the first quarter, Indian forward Lalit Upadhyay got an opportunity to score, but his shot was blocked by Australia goalkeeper Andrew Charter. The visitors dominated the second quarter, who netted another goal in the 18th minute.
The move was initiated by Lachlan Sharp who passed it to Eddie Ockenden from the left flank. He moved it to Tom Wickham who made no mistake. After the change of sides, the host team, desperate to score, got three penalty corners. Dragflicker Rupinderpal Singh’s hit, off the last of them, was straight at the Australian goalkeeper. But the rebound was converted by Raj Kumar Pal in the 36th minute. Hopes of a quick recovery were dashed as Australia netted two more goals in a span of two minutes. Sharp netted a goal in the 41st minute.
A minute later, Jacob Anderson scored for his team to make it 4-1. India mounted a mini-recovery in the final quarter. Raj Kumar Pal scored an individual goal in the 47th minute. Then, the experienced Rupindarpal Singh converted a penalty corner with a powerful strike in the 52nd minute. The scoreboard now read 4-3, but it was too little, too late for India. “It was a disappointing start against the defending champions. We made a slow start in the first two quarters and they took advantage of that. In the second half, we put in a team effort to bounce back. However, we lost the match,” said India skipper Manpreet Singh. Young full-back Lachlan, who assisted the first two goals and scored an individual strike, was adjudged the player of the match.