India outplay Kiwis 4-2 in series opener

Bengaluru, July 19

The Indian men’s hockey team pulled off a sensational 4-2 win over New Zealand in the first Test of the three-match series at the Sports Authority of India Campus in Bengaluru.

Rupinder Pal Singh (2nd min, 34 min), Mandeep Singh (15 min) and Harmanpreet Singh (38 min) scored for India while Stephen Jenness (26 min, 55 min) scored a brace for the visitors. 

The forwards won India their first penalty corner of the match in the first minute. Rupinder Pal Singh fired the ball low to beat goalkeeper Richard Joyce in the second minute. In the 15th minute, India doubled their lead when Manpreet Singh’s cross was brilliantly picked up by forward Mandeep Singh, who swiftly deflected it into the goal.

In the 26th minute, New Zealand finally made a breakthrough with Stephen Jenness scoring a perfect field goal to narrow the deficit to 1-2. In the second half, forward SV Sunil created India’s third penalty corner and drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh flicked the ball to the top right corner of the goal, taking India’s lead to a comfortable 3-1 in the 34th minute. 

In the 38th minute, SV Sunil created yet another opportunity for India as he won another penalty corner. Harmanpreet Singh was spot-on as he improvised the injection to score India’s fourth goal.

The final quarter saw New Zealand test the Indian defenders as they made strong forays into the striking circle. Their efforts paid off with Jenness scoring his second goal of the match as his shot bounced off Indian goalkeeper Suraj Karkera’s pad into the goal.

The second Test will be played on Saturday. — PTI