Hockey Test: Despite Akashdeep Singh hat-trick, India lose 5-4 to Australia in first match

The Indian men’s hockey team lost 5-4 to Australia in the first match of the Test series 2022 at the Mate Stadium in Adelaide on Saturday.

A hat-trick by Akashdeep Singh (9’, 26’, 58’) and captain Harmanpreet Singh’s (30’) goal drew parity at 4-4 but a late penalty corner from Blake Govers took the game away from India. Lachlan Sharp (4’), Nathan Ephraums (20’), Tom Craig (40’) and Blake Govers (56’, 60’) scored for the hosts.

It was the first meeting of the two teams since the Commonwealth Games 2022 hockey final in Birmingham earlier this year where Australia thumped India 7-0.

In the Test match, India made a slow start and fell behind early. Some great 3D skills by Tom Craig set up Sharp Lachlan for the Kookaburras opener just four minutes into the match. India, fifth in the hockey rankings, however, rose to the challenge brilliantly and found the equaliser just five minutes later through Akashdeep Singh.

Akashdeep himself won possession high up the pitch and fed it to Dilpreet before running onto the latter’s pass to fire in the equaliser.

The second quarter mirrored the first as world No. 1 Australia found an early goal yet again but the Indian hockey team clawed their way back to level terms.

Tom Craig’s superb run with the ball, once again, set up the Australian goal, with Nathan Ephraums applying the finishing touch. The Indian response, again, came through Akashdeep Singh, whose reverse tomahawk from a Sukhjeet Singh reverse pass shook the net before the Australian goalkeeper Benjamin Rennie could react.

With the two teams deadlocked at 2-2 at the half-time hooter, both teams had everything to play for in the second half.

Unlike the first two quarters, it was the visitors who were the early aggressors in the third. After worrying the Aussie defence on several occasions, India finally took the lead for the first time in the match through captain Harmanpreet Singh, who converted from a penalty corner.

Harmanpreet had a similar opportunity to extend his team’s lead minutes later, but this time his low shot didn’t have enough power to beat the Australian goalie.

As the quarter progressed, the hosts began probing for an equaliser and Tom Craig, who had assisted the Aussies’ first two goals posed a severe danger to the Indian backline. The Australian No. 2, almost deservedly, got on the scoresheet as he converted a PC to draw his team level.

The Australians had a couple of good opportunities to edge ahead early in the four quarter but shot wide from two back-to-back penalty corners. The Indian hockey team, on the other hand, looked to stay compact at the back and looked to hit the hosts on the counter.

It took a thunderous Blake Govers penalty corner with under three minutes to play to separate the two sides once again as the Aussies took a 4-3 lead.

The lead, however, lasted just a minute. Germanpreet Singh’s long pass from the right found the ever-present Akashdeep again in the Australian circle. The forward shimmied and hit one in from a tight angle to complete his hat-trick.

The match, however, had another big twist left. With the clock having hit zero, Australia won a penalty corner, which was thwarted by the Indian defence at the expense of another PC. The second one proved detrimental to Graham Reid’s men as Blake Govers fired past Krishna Pathak to win the thrilling contest for the hosts.

India and Australia meet for the second Test on Sunday. The five-match series concludes on December 4.