For a change, India tests Australia with a last minute goal

K. ARUMUGAM

It’s a test match, perhaps meaning teams essentially test each other. Often such entity becomes chess board for the coaches, to assess their wards, moves and experimenting everything. This mostly leaves audience in the lurch; they don’t get what they want. The ongoing Series in Adelaide thankfully is neither a  run of the mill stuff nor a Guinea pig. It has certainly turned out be competitive and worth of telecast. As a fitting testimony, for a change, today, Harmanpreet Singh’s outfit actually tested the hosts Australia, bringing in the process a first win over the famed rival in the last twelve encounters. For the Aussies who won two previous tests, it’s no more a cakewalk in the remaining part of the Series, which is still alive with 2-1 status.

For a change, we heard an Australian coach telling in the post match chit-chat, “good lessons for us”. Colin Batch had reasons to say so, as India could play to a plan that the Aussies could not reach or tear out. 

Just two seconds short of four minutes from end, the match actually began. At that point, the score that was evenly balanced at 2-2 turned in favour of the visitors: penalty corner pusher Shamsher Singh deftly scooping a rebound from goalie Johan Durst off a powerful shot from Harmanpreet Singh.

Thereafter the match went into a dizzy height, with each team fighting every second, virtually every second. When 2.32 mins left Australia got a penalty corner which the ultimate Man of the Match PR Sreejesh kicked out with consummate ease. 17 seconds later, entire Indian defence came into action to thwart another penalty corner which Nathan Ephraums earned. When the Aussies got the third one after conceding the lead to Shamsher 68 seconds before the end time, they did not disappoint their side. Jeremy Hayward sent a diagonal of which Nathan Ephraums, who had a wonder outing today, deflected in.

As the match was meandering to a draw, despite both teams still launching missiles across each other, India did what the Aussies did them in the Series opener. Last week, it was just 2 minutes left for the hooter when the hosts posted the winning goal to romp home a heartwarming 5-4 win. But today, the visitors returned it in the same coin.

Within 8 seconds from conceding the lead to Nathan Dphraums, a threesome move involving Hardik Singh, Mandeep Singh and Akashdeep Singh stunned Australia. Unlike many times in the past, Akashdeep today was calm inside the circle when Mandeep, after trapping a defence splitting pass, rolled the ball with a nudge as the goalie was seen charging out leaving his citadel open.

54 seconds were left with the Australians to manage the crisis, but it was not due to compact and gritty defence of India.

The match also witnessed spells of frayed tempers, with both Abhisek and James Collins getting green card simultaneously and somehow Tom Wickham managed a showdown, after indulging in a cool body-warming with Mandeep Mor at the end of third quarter. Even in the friendly shoot out displayed to entertain the crowd, a PR Sreejesh’s tackle on a Australian forward elicited angry posture and words from Colin Batch. The shoot out was abandoned midway, anyway.

Earlier in the proceedings, Harmanpreet Singh (12′), Abhishek (47′) and Shamsher Singh (57′) scored for India while for Australia, Jack Welch (25), Aran Zalewski (32′) and Nathan Ephraums (59′) did the scoring act a piece.

The Series has so far seen 27 goals in three matches and a whopping 51 penalty corners! By all means the Series is entertaining and gaining visibility.

Man of the match PR Sreejesh was seemingly overjoyed with the outcome: “Its a wonderful game, great push for us in the run up to the home World Cup. A baby step to us before the World Cup. This is exactly what we want to realize for ourselves. Actually, we were scoring but at the back we were conceding too many PCs and goals. Now, it was no more”.