Sultan Azlan Shah Cup: India leave it late vs NZ

Ipoh (Malaysia): The Indian men’s hockey team eked out a narrow 4-3 victory against hosts Malaysia at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup here on Wednesday.

Selvam Karthi (7th), Sukhjeet Singh (21st), Amit Rohidas (39th) and Sanjay (53rd) scored for India, while Faizal Saari (13th), Fitri Saari (36th), and Marhan Jalil (45th) got on the scoresheet for Malaysia. The Indian side had lost 2-3 to Belgium in their last match.

India started the game on the front foot, forcing the hosts back in their own half as they looked to assert themselves on the opposition. They earned their first opportunity from a penalty corner at the foot of the three-minute mark and built a sustained period of pressure that eventually paid off.

A neat move from Sukhjeet Singh set up Selvam Karthi to score a tap-in, helping India take a 1-0 lead. From there on, they largely controlled the tempo of the game until a foul from Yashdeep Siwach resulted in a green card and a penalty corner for Malaysia. A deflection for the Indian keeper helped Faizal Saari level the score at 1-1 to end

the first quarter.