Follow Scroll.in’s coverage of Indian hockey here.
Match 1: India 4-5 Australia
Match 2: India 4-7 Australia
Match 3: India 4-3 Australia
Match 4: India 1-5 Australia
FULL TIME, AUS 5-1 IND: The 5-1 scoreline will be a bit hard to digest for India, given the efforts they put in overall but a good team (actually, an elite team) like Australia will punish for a few minutes of lapse in defensive concentration. Australia clinch the series 3-1, the final match will be played tomorrow, 11am IST start time.
Player of the match: Jeremy Hayward
FULL TIME, AUS 5-1 IND: Kookaburras win, bounce back from a rare defeat to show why they are the World No 1 and why they are so feared in field hockey. India’s attacking conversion let them down today, while they have conceded five... defensive concerns remain.
Q4, AUS 5-1 IND: Less than 20 seconds to go... India see that shot go wide.
Q4, AUS 5-1 IND: India go forward and draw a “oooh!” from the crowd with a good move. Down the other end, from a long ball, Australia win a PC.
Q4, AUS 5-1 IND: Into the final three minutes and it seems Australia are keen for more.
Q4, AUS 5-1 IND: Oh save from Pathak! India need to be careful here to not lose heavily.
Q4, AUS 5-1 IND: GOAL AUSTRALIA! India’s heads drop. Manpreet rushes out, but Dawson’s low hit beats Pathak through the stick (might have taken a touch on the way).
Q4, AUS 4-1 IND: PC for Australia and Varun Kumar is not happy with the call.
Q4, AUS 4-1 IND: Back and forth on the field at the moment but no clear chances for either sides.
Q4, AUS 4-1 IND: Applause from the crowd as Harmanpreet Singh shows some wonderful close-control skills in the middle of the park surrounded by defenders but Australia prevented the pass forward so they will be happy.
Q4, AUS 4-1 IND: Will be a good time for Harmanpreet to find his scoring range... but no India go with Varun for this one. And not converted.
Q4, AUS 4-1 IND: Jarmanpreet wins a PC after good moves down the right flank into the circle.
Q4, AUS 4-1 IND: Pathak back in goal, as per.
End of Q3, AUS 4-1 IND: The message from the sideline broadcaster is that India need to score and score early, otherwise this series is done and dusted today in terms of the scoreline.
End of Q3, AUS 4-1 IND: Australia withstand heavy attacking pressure at the end of the quarter but India couldn’t reduce the deficit.
Q3, AUS 4-1 IND: After possibly their best first half of the series, India are probably heading for their worst defeat of the series. Akashdeep with a couple of half chances as the quarter winds down
Q3, AUS 4-1 IND: GOAL AUSTRALIA! Oh dear, this is getting out of reach for the Indians now. Hayward gets another, Sreejesh saves this with the left hand but the ball loops over him into the net.
Q3, AUS 3-1 IND: PC for Australia, from the near exact sort of play that India forced down the other end. Australia do find the foot though
Q3, AUS 3-1 IND: Wonderful defence from Australia there after Dilpreet and Jarmanpreet combine well down the right.
Q3, AUS 3-1 IND: Wickham with a brilliant piece of dribbling down the left flank, but India hang on there.
Q3, AUS 3-1 IND: 4-5 minutes of attacking pressure from Australia either side of half time and India’s 1-0 lead has been turned into a 1-3 deficit. As Graham Reid before match, “beware of the injured kookaburra,” indeed so. India have to come out attacking now.
Q3, AUS 3-1 IND: GOAL, AUSTRALIA! Wickham has two bites at the cherry from close range and he doesn’t miss the second time after Sreejesh saves the first. Great attacking play and Australia have turned this around and how.
Q3, AUS 2-1 IND: Oh Jarmanpreet puts the ball out from one flank to another under no pressure and Australia put India under defensive pressure. India hang on though.
Q3, AUS 2-1 IND: As we get set for Q3, India will be hoping to find the conversion rate of the previous match if they get their next PCs. We are underway.
End of Q2, AUS 2-1 IND: CHANCE INDIA! With 30 seconds to go after that goal, India manage to create another huge chance but Johan Durst saves it. What a mad finish. Half time.
Q2, AUS 2-1 IND: GOAL AUSTRALIA! The two Ws combine as Welch with great 3D skills sets up Whetton for an open goal. In the blink of an eye, in the final seconds of the half, Australia have turned it around.
Q2, AUS 1-1 IND: GOAL AUSTRALIA! Jeremy Hayward with a superb drag flick. Seemed to delay the shot just a fraction longer and placed into the top corner beyond the rusher. India have been wasteful from PCs today unlike match No 3 and Australia have made them pay for missed chances here.
Q2, AUS 0-1 IND: Harmanpreet went low again, it was saved again... and Australia countered superbly. India hang on, but soon enough a PC for Aussies.
Q2, AUS 0-1 IND: Harmanpreet goes low this time, wasn’t given a PC originally but the decision changed after help from the other umpire down the field.
Q2, AUS 0-1 IND: PC for India now.
Q2, AUS 0-1 IND: GOAL INDIA! That is a fantastic hit by Dilpreet Singh from the edge of the circle. Made space for himself with a sharp turn and unleashed it. The goalkeeper reacted a tad bit late. How important was that save from Pathak, now.
Q2, AUS 0-0 IND: GREAT SAVE! Nathan Ephraums does well in close quarter and gets a shot away across goal and that seemed destined to be back in the net. But Krishan Pathak gets the stick out to his right and pushes it away. Elite keeping that.
Q2, AUS 0-0 IND: Good work from Nilakanta middle of the park in Australia’s final third, but no PC given in the end.
Q2, AUS 0-0 IND: Early PC in the quarter for Australia but India, with Krishan Pathak now in goal, deal with it... just about. A late deflection went wide.
Update from Shahid Judge: That Q1 was the first goal-less quarter of the entire series.
End of Q1, AUS 0-0 IND: a collective “ohhhh!” at the venue as a long ball out of Indian defence nearly is deflected into the net by Sukhjeet. And that will be the last piece of play.
Q1, AUS 0-0 IND: Good chance Australia, down the right flank a brilliant move. A shot came on goal, looked like Sreejesh saved it. It was still dangerous, Surender Kumar then takes a blow to his hand with a great block. Probably the best attacking moments of the match so far.
Q1, AUS 0-0 IND: Green card for Australia, India will have a man advantage for two mins.
Q1, AUS 0-0 IND: More good possession for India, they have recovered nicely from taking the Aussie pressure. Manpreet heavily involved from the midfield. Sukhjeet too impressing but Nilkanta is having the best game out there possibly. Quick release from midfield.
Q1, AUS 0-0 IND: India enjoying a good spell of attacking play.
Q1, AUS 0-0 IND: India had a fantastic conversion rate from PCs last match, but Australia have made them 0-3 here. Deemed high from Harman and Australia regroup.
Q1, AUS 0-0 IND: Australia hang on for the first PC, rushed well to keep Harmanpreet out. Another PC though... this time the captain goes for a variation and it leads to another PC.
Q1, AUS 0-0 IND: And it is India who earn the first PC of the match. A good move from back to front, Nilakanta does well.
Q1, AUS 0-0 IND: Australia continue to attack at pace. India hanging on for now, will be important not to concede too early. India need to settle down, a very vocal Sreejesh at the start of the match.
Q1, AUS 0-0 IND: Australia on the attack straight from the pushback.
Lineups: Changes for both sides, as expected. Blake Govers not in the playing list today. Jarmanpreet and Dilpreet are back for Inida.
10.57 am: Replug for a piece on how India pulled off that long-awaited win.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Indian hockey. The senior men’s team take on Australia in the fourth match of their five-match Test series against Australia.
It’s been a fine series between two fine sides so far and it is alive now thanks a superb, long-awaited win for the Indian men against Kookaburras. “Tighter defence and tighter marking is the goal today,” says Graham Reid in the pre-match talk. He also said, “Beware of the injured Kookaburras.” Australia will look for a response.
India vs Australia, match 1 as it happened: Govers nets late winner, hat-trick for Akashdeep
India vs Australia, match 2 as it happened: Govers hits hat-trick, Harmanpreet & Co lose 4-7
India vs Australia match 3 as it happened: Akashdeep scores late as Indian men end long wait
India squad:
Goalkeepers: Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Sreejesh Parattu Raveendran
Defenders: Jarmanpreet Singh, Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh (C), Amit Rohidas (V/C), Jugraj Singh, Mandeep Mor, Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Varun Kumar
Midfielders: Sumit, Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Shamsher Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Rajkumar Pal, Mohd. Raheel Mouseen, Akashdeep Singh, Gurjant Singh
Forwards: Mandeep Singh, Abhishek, Dilpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh
Screenshots in the blog courtesy: FIH Media / Disney+Hotstar