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India's performance in the ongoing hockey Test series against Australia has improved vastly with every game. However, they still lost to the hosts 1-2 in the third Test and thereby, conceded the series.
The first Test saw the Kookaburras walloping India 5-1. The second Test was a very exciting contest where three quick goals in the third quarter took the match away from India. The visitors lost 2-4.
In today's game, the Indians were again very impressive. They defended heroically with Jarmanpreet Singh being very impressive. An unfortunate penalty stroke against India, in what was a marginal call, gave Australia the equalizer after they trailed 1-0. Then, Jeremy Hayward did his usual trick to take his team into the lead, one that held through to the end.
A slower start to the 3rd India vs Australia Test
The match began at a slower pace compared to the first two matches. This time around, even Australia were a bit jittery, making a few basic errors of trapping.
The Indians were once again using the overhead pass profusely. But it was the Australians who got their first penalty corner through an overhead pass of their own, in the fourth minute. However, India managed to save that.
More PCs came Australia's way and India's veteran PR Sreejesh had to save four successive penalty corners around the 10th minute mark.
Dilpreet Singh came into the Indian side and was very prominent with his work. It is safe to say that apart from Mohammed Raheel, he seems to be India's best option in the forward line.
India's first penalty corner came in the 13th minute but was to no avail. However, it showed that the Indians were not just sitting back in defense. Once again, Hardik Singh was making his presence felt with his astute work in the midfield.
The Australians weren't happy with their work in the first quarter. They came out firing on all cylinders in the second quarter. But India's defense stood tall, denying them any goals.
The problem, once again, was that the Indian team didn't have the smooth transitions and trappings needed to counterattack fast. There was also an unwillingness among their players, Hardik aside, to engage in one-on-one duels with the Kookaburras.
This meant there were repeated turnovers and hardly any decent attacks were mounted by the Asian powerhouses. The first half ended goalless and it was a moral victory for India, though they needed a bit more sharpness with their attacks.
Second half brings about goals
The third quarter saw the Indian team looking a bit more efficient with their attacking. Their players were playing with a bit more confidence and finding routes through the midfield.
India's second penalty corner came in the 11th minute of the second half and it produced a goal. Jugraj Singh was the scorer. India have decided to give Jugraj more opportunities in this series and he hasn't let them down.
However, Australia responded to being a goal down with ferocity. They upped their tempo and put pressure on the Indian defense in and around the circle for an extended period.
Somehow, India were able to keep the Kookaburras at bay. But eventually, the wall collapsed. A penalty stroke was awarded to the Australians when Amit Rohidas tried to tackle the lone Australian attacker in the circle as he tried to retrieve a pass.
The Odisha defender was all alone in the 'D' with the goalie and though he missed the ball, he couldn't get his body out of the way of the attacker. The stroke was questionable as Rohidas didn't seem to be intentionally impeding the Kookaburra player. But he did block his passage.
Jeremy Hayward stepped up to the mark and made the scores level. Sreejesh, who had made a brilliant save a few minutes before didn't have a chance this time. Australia had come close to scoring earlier when a shot hit the crossbar but this time they were not to be denied.
India were back under pressure and Australia weren't going to relent. They picked up another penalty corner in the 49th minute and this time, Hayward was on the mark. With around 11 minutes to go, Australia were leading in the contest.
Lack of attacking prowess hurts India
India did manage to get the ball into the Australian circle a couple of times. However, the home team's marking and defense didn't have any flaws either. There were hardly any easy entries allowed to India and the Indian attackers never found enough space to maneuver.
Not surprisingly, Australia held on to their one-goal lead and finished the match as victors. Indians can look back at this game and consider themselves a bit unlucky. However, the fact remains that if they allow top sides to dominate for long periods, it would be unfair to expect the defense to keep denying them goals.
There needs to be more counter-attacks and effective moves from the forward line. For that, one wonders whether the over-reliance on overhead passes needs to be shelved in favor of the harder work of weaving their way through the mid-field. Hardik Singh is the right man to do this.
One man who seemed capable of doing this was Mohammed Raheel. He seems to be a brilliant dribbler and has shown his brilliant skills in this series. He and Hardik, along with Dilpreet should combine for more attacking maneuvers.
