After suffering a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Germans, Indian men's hockey team bounced back in style as they recorded a 2-1 win over Ireland in their second game of the 6-Nations invitational tournament here on Tuesday.
The two teams started the game cautiously, playing the ball on the flanks and using the width to dictate play. India sat deeper in their zone and allowed Ireland to hold the ball, hoping to score via counters. Ireland though, against the odds took the lead in the 4th minute via Kyle Good and went into the first break with the lead.
Shocked by the goal, India rallied back strongly, and had their first penalty corner of the game in the 19th minute. Rupinder Pal Singh's flick was stopped by David Harte, but Talwinder, lurking inside the circle, pounced on the rebound and slotted it into goal. India were level with 11 minutes of the half to play.
India then took the lead within minutes of the third quarter beginning. Great play between VR Raghunath and Birender Lakra, led to a quick shifting of the flanks, and Surender Kumar, operating on the left, whipped in a powerful cross into the circle. Sardar Singh was at hand, deflecting the ball in deftly to give India the lead. They had several more chances in the half, first Rupinder and then Raghunath denied from PCs.
India played the final quarter strongly, with an eye on ensuring they didn't concede as they looked to launch counters to kill the game.
Speaking after the game, Chief Coach Roelant Oltmans said, "We started off slow today, much like yesterday, but quickly came back and found our rhythm. The good thing is we played strongly once we took the lead and had several chances to secure the game, an area we need to work on."
India will next take on New Zealand on Thursday.
