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On Friday, April 12, Australia men’s hockey team defeated India by 3-1 scoreline at the Perth Hockey Stadium, to take a 4-0 lead in the five-match Test series. The Harmanpreet Singh-led team went ahead in the early stages of the match, but they couldn’t sustain their performance throughout the entire 60 minutes, conceding two goals in the final quarter to succumb to a tough defeat.
In the first quarter, the captain Harmanpreet Singh put India in front with a thunderous goal in the 12th minute off the penalty corner, which was initially won by Abhishek. But in the space of just seven minutes, Jeremy Hayward levelled the scoring for Australia in the second quarter with a penalty corner conversion of his own after Kyle Willot won it off an aerial duel into the circle.
While the third quarter stayed goalless, Australia took the lead through yet another Jeremy Hayward penalty corner routine in the 47th minute after he was fouled by the Indian defenders. The exclamation point came in the 54th minute from Australia when Jack Welch put the ball past Suraj Karkera in goal after a brilliant move involving Lockie Sharp and Jacob Anderson.
With a fourth defeat in a row, the Indian men’s hockey team’s route to Paris 2024 has hit a massive roadblock down under. Now, the Harmanpreet Singh-led team will be looking to end the tour on a high with their best performance in the fifth and final match of the Test series, irrespective of the eventual outcome.