India win again to complete 6-0 rout of hosts Canada
India rounded off their impressive tour of Canada with a 3-2 victory over the home side in their final game to win the seven-match hockey Test series 6-0, at Tamanawis Park here.
|Last Updated: Oct 26, 2009, 12:19 AM IST|Source: Bureau
Surrey: India rounded off their impressive tour of Canada with a 3-2 victory over the home side in their final game to win the seven-match hockey Test series 6-0, at Tamanawis Park here.
India, who led 2-1 at half time, scored through Prabhjot Singh (21st minute), Gurwinder Chandi (31st) and Tushar Khandker (49th).
Wayne Fernandes flicked home twice for Canada in the 26th and 46th minutes.
One match of the series was drawn.
The Indians made their intentions clear from the very beginning when Sarwanjit Singh tested Canadian goalkeeper David Carter in the opening minute followed by captain Rajpal Singh’s attempt which narrowly missed the mark.
Canada took some time to settle down but soon produced a couple of fine moves which tested the Indian goalkeeper Adrian D’Souza.First Philip Wright missed a deflection from Rob Short and then Gabbar Singh’s effort went in vain as D’Souza brought off a one of his splendid saves.
India broke the ice in the 21st minute after midfielder Sardar Singh picked up the pace. Sardar sent a well-measured pass to Shivendra Singh who in turn pushed to the waiting Prabhjot atop the striking circle. The first timer from Prabhjot went past Carter to give India the lead.
Canada nearly pulled one back shortly after but Connor Meakin’s deflection was saved by D’Souza.
A faulty stick tackle by Bharat Chhikara in the circle led to Canada’s two successive penalty corners which Fernandes sank for the equaliser in the 26th minute.Canada nearly took the lead but D’Souza again saved a Wright shot as the home team striker got past Indian defenders Dhananjay Mahadik and Sandeep Singh.
But it was India who forged ahead in the 31st minute as Chandi excelled with individual play and tapped the ball into goal after drawing out Carter.
Canada missed a chance to equalise close to half time with David Jameson failing to beat D’Souza with two rebounds.
India earned their first of two penalty corners after the change of ends but Sandeep shot wide. Chandi had another goal scoring opportunity but Carter made a glove save.
Canada put pressure on the shaky Indian defence but found the alert D’Souza rising to the occasion as he blocked another onslaught from a Jameson and Wright combination.
The hosts restored parity in the 46th minute when Fernandes struck again with his flick from Canada’s third penalty corner.
Three minutes later India rejoiced again as Khandker found the mark from a Gurbaj Singh set up.
Later, efforts by Shivendra and Sardar - who was adjudged Player of the Series - did not bear results as Canadian custodian Carter successfully blocked their attempts.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.