India fought back from 0-3 down to hold arch-rivals Pakistan to a creditable 3-3 draw in the sixth and last Test of the bilateral hockey series at the Army Hockey Stadium on Sunday.
By holding the Pakistanis in this match, India managed to win the second leg 1-0 and thereby narrow down their series loss to 3-1.
After bowing down to the superior skills and better team work of the Pakistani side in the first half, India rallied in the second, striking well in time to notch a draw.
Sandeep Singh (54th), Shivinder Singh (61st) and Vikram Pillay (62nd) scored the goals for the visitors after they were nearly outplayed by Pakistan through Tariq Aziz (4th), Mohammed Saqlain (27th) and Shabbir Hussain (43rd) goals.
Pakistan played with a purpose and displayed smart hockey to a take a 2-0 lead in the first half.
Their planning and alertness paid immediate dividends as they took lead in the fourth minute through a Tariq Aziz blitzkrieg.
From the left, Dilawar Hussein's powerful hit from outside the circle rebounded off Harpal Singh's stick while the latter was trying to stop it inside the striking circle.
{{/usCountry}}From the left, Dilawar Hussein's powerful hit from outside the circle rebounded off Harpal Singh's stick while the latter was trying to stop it inside the striking circle.
{{/usCountry}}Alert as ever, a swift Tariq Aziz latched on to the opportunity to strike a cracking shot into the net, to leave the Indians stunned.
The visitors were again found wanting in converting opportunities into goals. Both Sardara Singh and Didar Singh showed poor striking abilities as they were at a loss despite getting a good chance each inside the D, taking ages to put the ball in.