A spirited India rallied from two goals down to pull off a 3-2 victory over New Zealand in a practice game ahead of the Sultan Azlan Shah hockey tournament in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.
After trailing 0-2 till 15 minutes from the final hooter, India rode on a brace from Sandeep Singh and a penalty-stroke conversion by Gagan Ajit Singh to notch a morale-boosting victory in the lead up to the tournament that begins on Sunday.
For New Zealand, who had lost the first practice game to India by the same margin, Brad Shaw and Simon Child scored.
However, how much India could gain from the win was debatable as no umpires turned up for the match, which was briefly interrupted in the first-half by thundershowers and lightning. Harender Singh, assistant coach of the Indian team, doubled up as the umpire.
But nothing could take away the fact that the Indians performed. Sandeep Singh, especially, was excellent, converting the corners with great power and flexibility.
India's coach Vasudevan Baskaran was rightly happy with the showing of his boys.
"The team has progressed well. Compared to their show in the practice games back home they are much sharper. They showed character and kept their composure in the dying minutes," he said.
