Indian women held by New Zealand

New Delhi: The Indian women’s team squandered a two-goal lead to settle for a 2-2 draw against New Zealand in the third hockey Test at the Kett Capital Hockey Stadium in Napier on Tuesday.

With Saba Anjum (fourth minute) and Chanchan Thockchom (eighth) sounding the board, India raced to a 2-0 lead but Kiwi rookie Stacey Brannigan’s (27th and 57th) double strike earned the host a draw.

India leads series

India leads the five-match series 1-0, having won the opener at Palmerston North, while the second Test was drawn. The final two matches of the series will be played in Wellington this weekend.

In Tuesday’s match, India was quick to open its account as Saba scored from a fast counter-attack. Four minutes later, Chanchan scored with a deflection from a straight shot by Subhadra Pradhan from a penalty corner.

The Black Sticks then got one back through a field goal by Stacey, her first international goal, which she struck home from close range in the 27th minute.

In the second half, New Zealand held the ball well and had a lot of possession but was unable to convert its chances until the 57th minute when Stacey scored again with a diving deflection.

The last 10 minutes of the match was played at a high pace but both teams were unable to find the winner.

Indian captain Surinder Kaur and Rani Rampal each had a good opportunity to score but the Kiwi defence foiled their attempts.

Indian goalkeeper Deepika Murty also made an important save in the final minute to deny the Black Sticks their first win of the series. — PTI