India begin on winning note

Chandigarh: India beat New Zealand 2-0 to win the inaugural match of the four-nation Punjab Gold Cup at the floodlit Sector 42 Hockey Stadium on Saturday.

India scored the first goal through a penalty corner in the 18th minute as Sandeep Singh drag flicked Rajpal’s push inside the goalpost. Forward Shivendra Singh scored the second goal with a reverse sweep of Sandeep’s scoop in the 61st minute of the game.

Captain Sandeep Singh, for his inspiring play, was adjudged man of the match.

Indians dominated the show right from the beginning as forwards made repeated attacks into the Kiwis side. India earned their first penalty corner in the eighth minute, but Sandeep could not manage to get an early lead for his side. However, it was the combined effort of Rajpal Singh and forward Arjun Hallapa who made a move for India, which earned another penalty corner. This time, Sandeep didn’t make any mistake and slammed the board with a sizzling shot.

The first half of the match saw both sides playing equally well with both teams making moves and trying to get inside each other’s territory. As the game progressed, the scales got slightly tilted towards India and New Zealand effort ended in vain every time they tried to restore parity. The only time Kiwis looked threatening was in the 31st minute when J Baker, coming from left, got inside the circle. However, the ball crossed the line and India survived the scare.

Black Sticks’ forwards were well blunted by Indian defense, as Dalip Tirkey, Sandeep and Raghunath kept them at bay.

Mid fielder Vikram Pillay was shown the green card in the first half (15th minute) for checking the stick. Later, in the 66th minute, he was shown yellow card along with Phillip Burrows. Indians maintained their attacking mode in the second half as well.