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India fall to Australia in Sultan of Johor Cup final
India's junior hockey team lost 1-2 to Australia in the Sultan of Johor Cup final, despite a strong performance and equalizing goal by Anmol Ekka.
NEW DELHI: The Indian junior hockey team lost 1-2 to Australia in the final of the Sultan of Johor Cup in Johor, Malaysia on Saturday.
India went behind in the 13th minute via a Ian Grobbelaar goal before Anmol Ekka (17th) equalised early in the second quarter. The contest remained evenly poised until the final moments when Grobbelaar (59th) converted a penalty corner (PC) to seal the title for Australia — their third, and first since 2017.
India began on a promising note, moving the ball around with short, crisp passes that gave them the bulk of possession in the early exchanges. Their first big chance came within the opening five minutes when a quick give-and-go between Araijeet Singh Hundal and Sourabh Anand Kushwaha set up Gurjot Singh at close range, but Australia goalkeeper Magnus McCausland dealt with it well.
At the 10-minute mark, Amir Ali’s powerful long-range shot was cleverly deflected goalward by Gurjot, only for McCausland to parry it away once again.
Australia earned their first PC and Grobbelaar converted it with precision. They won another PC just before the end of the quarter, but splendid work from India goalkeeper Prince Deep Singh kept it out.
India began the second quarter with intent, winning two PCs in quick succession. The breakthrough came off the second, Ekka’s fiery strike to the left of McCausland bringing India level at 1-1. While the Indian defence held firm, India continued to probe forward, creating more chances. They earned two more PCs just before half-time, but Araijeet’s strike couldn’t find the lead on either occasion.
A brilliant move by India opened the third quarter. A long pass from Priyobarta Talem found Amir Ali deep on the left flank, but his close-range attempt resulted in another short corner that went unfinished.
Neither side relented in their pursuit of goal through the quarter with Australia winning three PCs. Minutes before the hooter, Araijeet broke away on a swift, threatening run, but his shot was inches wide.
Early in the final quarter, Ajit Yadav stole possession in a dangerous area and burst forward, but with no support, hit wide. India attacked with a sense of urgency and Rohit came close on India’s eighth PC, but missed his target by inches.
More opportunities fell Australia’s way through PCs and Grobbelaar converted again to help the Kookaburras edge ahead in the dying minutes. It was India’s turn to try and make the most of the set-pieces. India took a series of shots from PCs in the final minute, but the equaliser eluded them.
