India overcome seven-year itch against Australia
Defending champions India put on a fighting display to beat world champions Australia 4-3 at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on Monday, scoring their first win over the Aussies in seven years.
Forward Tushar Khandekar scored two goals, keeping the team at the top of the standings with 10 points.
India took the lead in the 19th from a field goal by Khandekar, and three minutes later skipper Rajpal Singh made it 2-0. They went 3-0 up in the 33rd minute when Khandekar managed to slot home from close range. But in a seesaw exchange, the Aussies scored twice in the first five minutes of the second half, allowing them back into the game.
Australia tried hard for an equaliser but in a counter-attack India increased their lead with Rajpal scoring in the 61st.
Mark Peterson scored the third goal for the Australians in the 69th minute but it was not enough to deny India the three points.
South Korea were back in contention for a place in the final when they beat China 5-3.