NEW DELHI: Riding its fine form after bagging a silver in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the Indian men’s hockey team edged out Bangladesh 2-1 in the opening Test of the three-match series that started today in Dhaka as part of the Asian Games tune-up.
Bangladesh drew first blood with a Farhad Ahmed Fhitul strike in the 30th minute, but India, who have picked a young squad for the series including some Asian Games probables, soon bounced back in the game and stole the thunder from the home team within a matter of five minutes. Trailing 0-1, Indian defender Gurjinder Singh replied through a field goal in the 32nd minute of the match and helped the visitors draw level.Mid-fielder Harjeet Singh quickly took the visitors ahead before half time when he made no mistake in converting a penalty corner in the 34th minute.
India then held on the 2-1 advantage till time as Gurjinder received the Man of the Match award. Speaking on the win, coach Tushar Khandker said, “Many players in the team are playing their first international match. This series will prepare them for the upcoming Asian Games. The players are getting exposed to various techniques and training on tackling the ball in different situations during the game. The team has much more potential than what they have shown today and we expect even better results in the remaining matches.” India will now play their second Test match against Bangladesh on Friday.
India edge out Bangladesh 2-1 in hockey series opener
