Strikers Mandeep, Dilpreet take India past Kiwis

Tauranga (New Zealand), January 20 

A structured defence and clinical attack saw India beat hosts New Zealand 3-1 in the final round robin match of the four-nation invitational hockey tournament here today. India will play the final tomorrow against Belgium, who beat Japan 4-1.

It was India’s young brigade Harmanpreet Singh (2nd minute), Dilpreet Singh (21st) and Mandeep Singh (47th) who scored to help their side bounce back from the 2-0 loss against Belgium.

India’s mantra today was to play aggressively. Their first chance came in the first minute through a counterattack but Mandeep missed the opportunity. The striker, however, made up by earning India their first penalty corner in the next minute.

Harmanpreet’s drag-flick beat the New Zealand goalkeeper for pace, flying past his right glove. The early goal put the Black Sticks on the back foot. India earned another penalty corner in the eighth minute but Rupinder Pal Singh’s drag-flick was padded away by the goalkeeper. New Zealand also wasted two back-to-back penalty corners in the dying minutes of the first quarter. 

Six minutes into the second quarter, Dilpreet, who had scored two goals against Japan, produced another moment of brilliance. After receiving a pass in the heart of a crowded circle, the 18-year-old took one touch to bring the ball under control, and, before the two defenders around him could react, he fired a tomahawk shot into the net.

New Zealand reduced the lead in the 42nd minute through Kane Russell’s penalty corner strike. The hosts almost equalised near the end of the third quarter, but Surender Kumar made a brilliant save to deflect out a high drag-flick. But Mandeep provided India some breathing space with a deserved goal. The youngster, who had an outstanding performance, deflected in a long ball from Rupinder. 

“We started the match much better today and I saw individual improvement,” said chief coach Sjoerd Marijne. “It’s important for the players to keep pushing themselves. I am particularly happy about today’s win because the team did a lot of analysing ahead of the match and their keenness to improve was evident.” 

India’s match against Belgium will be streamed live on facebook.com/nzblacksticks at 6.30am Indian time. — PTI

World XI win as international hockey returns to Pakistan

Karachi: International hockey returned to Pakistan for the first time in a decade when a World XI side defeated the Pakistan junior team 5-1 in an exhibition match here. The visiting team was made up of recently retired players from Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Australia and Argentina. “The main thing is that we have finally managed to make this tour a reality and now we can approach sponsors and corporates to support the game,” Pakistan Hockey Federation president Khalid Khokar said. 

No international hockey match has been held in Pakistan since 2008, with teams refusing to tour the country due to security concerns. Holland’s legendary penalty corner strikers Paul Litjens and Floris Bovelander were the most popular players in the visiting side, with most of the fans seeking their autographs at the heavily secured stadium. Dutch players Roderick Weusthof, Philip Meulenbroek, Australian Grant Schubert and Spain’s David Alegre scored the goals. World XI will play their second match tomorrow in Lahore. — PTI