Hockey: India lose to Argentina in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup opener
India went down 2-3 to Olympic champions Argentina in the opening match of the 27th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey here today.
Star drag-flicker Gonzalo Peillat (13th, 23rd, 33rd minute) scored a hat-trick for Argentina while Amit Rohidas (24th, 32nd) converted two penalty corners for India.
The play was stopped in the fourth quarter due to heavy rain. At resumption, India was reduced to 10 men though a last-gasp effort from Talwinder Singh almost found the equaliser for India.
#INDvsARG Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Live Updates:https://t.co/BqjFjEJi90
— The Field (@thefield_in) March 3, 2018
First half stats:- pic.twitter.com/v6UfrPBozA
India next plays England tomorrow. The other teams taking part in the tournament are Australia, Ireland and Malaysia.
India is fielding a young team here in the absence of key players like Akashdeep Singh, SV Sunil, Mandeep Singh, Manpreet Singh and goalkeeper PR Sreejesh.
Drag-flick specialists Rupinder Pal Singh and Harmanpreet Singh too have been rested.
FT. Argentina take the spoils in the opening match of the 27th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on 3rd March, but India's encouraging performance showed signs of grit as they fought back from two goals down and kept the pressure on till the end.#IndiaKaGame #INDvARG #SultanAzlanShahCup pic.twitter.com/6IRt3NEiDW
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) March 3, 2018