ERROL D’CRUZ

For the second time in successive matches, India led by three goals but endured nerve-wracking closing minutes to finish winners by the slenderest of margins. On Sunday in front of a packed Birsa Munda Stadium in Rourkela, the hosts, riding on a hat-trick by captain Harmanpreet Singh, warded off a late Australian challenge to win 5-4 after sitting pretty 4-1 at half-time in the FIH Pro League encounter.

It rained goals and ironically, cards, in a match played in very good spirit but the biggest cause for celebration for the hosts was the return to form by captain Harmanpreet Singh and what better way than celebrating it with a triple strike via his trademark drag-flicks?

On Friday, India eked out a 3-2 win over World Cup champions Germany after being 3-0 ahead and sit second in the table after Spain but with two matches in hand.

Player-of-the-match Harmanpreet netted in the 13^th, 14^th and 55^th minutes. Jugraj Singh (17^th minute, penalty stroke) and Karthi Selvam (25^th minute) also got onto the scoresheet for India.

Australia, who took an early 1-0 lead, scored through Joshua Beltz (2^nd minute), Ky Willot (42^nd minute), Ben Staines (52^nd minute, PC) and Aran Zalewski (56 minute, PC).

Frenetic action on the pitch, however, produced six cards. Two green (Vishnukanth Singh and Rabichandra Moirangthem) and a yellow (Manpreet Singh) for India.

Australia picked up a green (Willot) and a double yellow to the iconic veteran Eddie Ockendon) who has over 400 caps.

India’s second successive win in the mini-tournament of three teams, part of the FIH Pro League, took them to  14 points from six  matches, a rung behind Spain, on 17 from eight matches. Australia are uncharacteristically at eighth in the nine-team league on four from six.

Australia, like India, are striving to put behind a disappointing World Cup campaign two months ago when they finished fourth and out of the podium for the first time since 1998.

India, smarting from a crossover ouster via a shootout at the hands of New Zealand in the World Cup they hosted, are building to the Asian Games in September.

Australia, endeavouring to bounce back after a 0-1 loss to Germany on Saturday, started in whirlwind fashion and silenced the galleries when Beltz struck with the game not quite two minutes old after captain Zawleski played the ball into the circle.

India retaliated with a flurry of penalty corners (10 in the match, the same number as Australia) but wound up losing their referral in an attempt to deny the opponents their first PC in the first quarter itself.

The hosts, egged on by the packed stands, were on level terms when the set-piece presented struggling captain Harmanpreet Singh with a chance he took with aplomb – beating goalkeeper Johan Durst to his right.

Before the cheers died down, another PC came India’s way along with the first yellow to Ockendon for bringing down Abhishek, and Harmanpreet rubbed it in with another essay from old to put India 2-1 up on the quarter-time break.

A push in the back by Hayden Beltz on Sukhjeet fetched India a penalty stroke and it was Jugraj, not Harmanpreet who muffed up an award against Germany, who stepped up to send the goalkeeper the wrong way and make it 3-1.

India, who recorded their first win over Australia after six years in a test series Down Under last year, were well and truly on their way for another when the 21-year-old Karthi found the top corner of the Australian goal with a scorcher after hoodwinking Jake Harvie to make it 4-1.

One doesn’t expect the Aussies to take a three-goal deficit at half-time lying down and after Shamsher failed to put away Dilpreet’s cross, they took charge.

Rajbhar Pawan, persisted with in goal with the veteran PR Sreejesh, who started the match, looking on from the dugout. Pawan justified the faith, foiling Beltz whose shot had ‘goal’ looking all over it.

However, Australia got a foot in the door with the final quarter beckoning when Willot pushed home from close range after James Collins played across the face of goal.

Harmanpreet exults after scoring hattrick against Australia.                          Photo by Shamim Qureshy

Two yellow cards, to Ockenden picking up his second of the match and Manpreet Singh within minutes, added to the drama of the final quarter with Australia knocking on the doors.

Surely enough, it was 3-4 with a messy finish from a PC following a variation that drew a save by Pawan from Anand Gupte before Staines slammed in to bring up his first international goal.

The shootout loomed as Australia swarmed in for the equalizer but Harmanpreet brought the house down with his third goal from a PC award that survived a referral and India heaved relief at 5-3.

Harmanpreet’s essay beat Rennie’s outstretched right foot and it signalled his first hat-trick since the match against Wales at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. It also took his tally to 10 in the league and his name to the top of the scorers’ table with Belgium’s Alexander Hendrickx second with six.

There were still more than three minutes left for the final hooter and Australia ensured a grandstand finish with Zalewski scoring to make it 4-5.

Two penalty corners in the dying moments of the pulsating encounter had the home crowd on tenterhooks but smart No. 1 running by Manpreet helped stave off Australia’s bid to bring on the shootout and the possibility of their first point in this leg of the league.

India take on Germany on Monday, vying for their third straight win in this Rourkela leg of the Pro League.