Perth, May 14
A late goal by dragflicker Harmanpreet Singh helped the Indian men’s hockey team salvage a 1-1 draw against Australia A.
India made two saves in the initial minutes of the first quarter while defending back-to-back penalty corners. The attempts somewhat made up for an average start by the visitors with the Australia A attack putting the team under pressure right from the start. India suffered a setback in the 21st minute when Kiran Arunasalam — whose traces his roots to India via Malaysia — struck a fine field goal.
India’s inability to convert chances in the striking circle and missing out on three penalty corners dented their fightback. Their defence, on the other hand, was able to contain the home team later on. It was Harmanpreet’s second attempt (56th min) that saw him convert a well-timed, powerful dragflick into an equaliser. “We had a poor start in the first ten minutes of the game which was a complete opposite to how we played on Friday. We slowly got back into the game in the second, third and fourth quarters and also created enough opportunities in the game,” India coach Graham Reid said.
“On Wednesday, we will need to start much better and play well in all the four quarters. In tomorrow’s practice session, we will be working on our connections, especially in the midfield,” he added.
India will next take on Australia, and if the visitors are to emerge on top, Reid said the team will need to start much better and keep the pressure on their opponents in all the four quarters. Earlier, India had registered a 2-0 win over Western Australia Thundersticks before beating Australia A 3-0.
