After sufferring back-to-back defeats, the Indian men's hockey team have suffered a 5-0 whitewash in their test series against Australia.
The Indian men’s hockey team failed to avoid a catastrophic whitewash in the fifth test against Australia. Furthermore, the men in blue completed a nightmare of a tour in Perth which ended on Saturday.
The Indians entered the series’ final game after losing their previous four matches 1-5, 2-4, 1-2 and 1-3. Naturally, the rubber was significant as far as preparation is concerned ahead of the upcoming Paris Olympics. However, the Perth outing remains a bitter aftertaste for Fulton’s boys.
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Harmanpreet Singh (4′) and Boby Singh Dhami (53’) found the back of the net for India, while Jeremy Hayward (20’), Ky Willott (38’), and Tim Brand (39’) scored the goals for the hosts. In the initial quarter, India kicked off with a focused approach to maintaining ball possession and setting the game’s tempo.
This tactic enabled them to breach Australia’s defence multiple times, earning consecutive penalty corners. Captain Harmanpreet Singh (4’) capitalized on the second chance, expertly slotting in a grounded shot with precision and pace.
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With the scoreboard in their favour, India intensified their offensive pressure, consistently testing Australia’s defence and it eventually helped the visitors maintain their 1-0 lead by the conclusion of the first quarter.
At the beginning of the second quarter, the Indian men’s hockey team adopted an assertive stance aiming to widen their lead and maintain dominance over Australia. Nevertheless, the home team managed to secure a penalty corner against the run of play, capitalizing on it through their in-form player, Jeremy Hayward (20’), who netted the equalizer.
Meanwhile, Australia capitalized on their counterattacking chances, with Ky Willott (38’) and Tim Brand (39’) netting field goals within a minute of each other. This flurry of goals propelled the hosts to a comfortable 3-1 lead as the penultimate quarter concluded. The men in blue pulled back a consolation goal for themselves. However, it was too late to change the scoreboard in India’s favour.
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Fulton and his men did not get the desired result from the tour of Australia as they succumbed to back-to-back defeats. Naturally, the million-dollar question that surrounds the coach, players and the entire staff is the level of preparedness of the men’s hockey team. With the Paris Olympics within 100 days approximately, Fulton and his boys will look to make a dramatic turnaround.
Pragmatically, performances are all that matters at this stage of the season, knowing where the team stands as they look to head to the Paris Olympics and match or better the bronze from Tokyo. But at some point, the habit of losing repeatedly to an opponent who is in the same pool is bound to leave some scars.
For now, the main question that remains is whether the defeat to Australia is a seasonal bloom or the Kokaboorans have become the kryptonite for the men in blue.
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