On Saturday, three goals were scored in the last period of the first game of the five-game series between the hosts Australia and India, giving Australia a 5-4 victory.
Australia won the opening game of the five-game hockey series against India 5-4
With up to nine goals scored in 60 minutes of exciting hockey, both teams lived up to the hype as they created an explosive contest that had viewers on the edge of their seats over the weekend.
Akashdeep Singh, an experienced attacker for India, scored a hat-trick of goals in the 10th, 27th, and 59th minutes, while Harmanpreet Singh (in the 31st minute) also dazzled with his PC assault. Blake Govers (57th, 60+), Nathan Ephraums (21st), Tom Craig, and Lachlan Sharp (5th) all scored goals for the home team to give them the lead.
The game started off on an upbeat tone, as was to be expected, with the home team picking up the pace in the opening period. Though India remained toe-to-toe, their rapid onslaught made their intentions clear. India maintained composure to wait for the ideal opportunity to score even though Australia scored first with Sharp hitting a brilliant goal assisted by Tom Craig in the fifth minute. Three minutes later, Dilpreet Singh made a terrific tackle that set up India’s counterattack, which Akashdeep successfully capitalized on to score the equalizer.
Tom Craig, who was in charge of the midfield and helped set up Australia’s second goal, also assisted India’s second goal, which was scored by Ephraums in the 21st minute past Krishan Pathak, who came in to replace Sreejesh.
Six minutes later, Akashdeep Singh was once again in charge of India’s offense as he scored another equalizer in the 27th minute, followed by a PC in the 31st minute that was miraculously converted by Harmanpreet Singh after Rajkumar Pal, who was positioned as the stopper in the PC attack, made a small mistake. For the first time in the game, India’s captain scored to give his side a 3-2 lead, but Australia responded in the third quarter with a goal from Tom Craig in the 41st second.
Australia performed superbly in the last quarter, kicking into high gear. They forced India to commit mistakes, which resulted in a PC being granted in the 57th minute. As their seventh PC of the game, Blake Govers successfully converted from a nice variation to seize a 4-3 lead.
However, Akashdeep’s heroics allowed India to score their fourth goal, tying the game with just one minute remaining before the final whistle. However, Australia’s tenacity once again shone through. With just a few seconds remaining before the final buzzer, Blake scored his second goal and his team’s sixth, giving Australia a 1-0 series lead.