India women draw hockey series despite narrow loss to Australia
India's women's hockey team suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat to Australia in the fourth and final friendly in Perth, but finished the four-match series level at 2-2. The tour provided valuable momentum ahead of the upcoming FIH Nations Cup
Hyderabad: The Indian women’s hockey team concluded their four-match friendly series against Australia with a close 2-3 defeat in the fourth and final game in Perth on Saturday, resulting in the series ending in a 2-2 draw.
India came out strongly in the contest, taking a 1-0 lead in just the second minute when Navneet Kaur converted a penalty corner to put early pressure on Australia. In the second quarter, Deepika Soreng (23′) doubled India’s lead with a neat conversion.
It remained 2-0 at half-time.
Australia fought back in the third quarter, drawing level through Abby Wilson (42′) and Olivia Downes (44′) in quick succession. A late strike from Courtney Schonell (58′) gave the hosts a narrow 3-2 win in the dying minutes.
Despite the result in the final game, India can take plenty of positives from the tour. Having bounced back from an opening-game defeat to win the next two matches, the team demonstrated resilience, tactical discipline and a potent attacking threat throughout the series, continuing to build ahead of the upcoming season, which begins with the FIH Nations Cup in New Zealand.
