The India 'A' men's team settled for a 1-1 draw against Northern Territory in their third Pool B encounter of the 2017 Australian Hockey League on Monday.
India got off the blocks against Northern Territory on an attacking mode, finding spaces in the opponent's circle right from the start. The efforts paved way for Mohammad Umar, who converted a field goal in the sixth minute of the match giving India 'A' Men a 1-0 lead in the first quarter.
A well-executed defensive structure saw the team keep up the lead in the following minutes and the team continued to keep the pressure on with a disciplined game. The second quarter saw India forwards Armaan Qureshi and Affan Yousuf display entertaining hockey with fast-paced manoeuvres that saw them come close to scoring a goal.
Northern Territory put up an improvised performance in the third quarter forcing a defensive error on India's part resulting in a penalty stroke to Northern Territory. Adrian Lockley made no mistake in converting the penalty stroke that equalled the score 1-1 in the 34th minute.
The score-line continued to remain constant all through the remaining minutes of the third quarter. Though India pushed hard for a goal in the final quarter, Northern Territory defence stayed resilient.
The final few minutes of the match continued to remain tense for both teams but they eventually ended in a 1-1 draw.
India A will now lock horns with Australian Capital Territory in their next encounter.
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