The Indian junior men’s hockey team qualified to the finals of the Sultan of Johor Cup after they decimated Australia 5-1 on Wednesday.
Shilanand Lakra scored a brace while Dilpreet Singh, Gursahibjit Singh and Mandeep Mor each got themselves a goal.
India started off strongly, creating their first chance in the very first minute of the game. The rest of the quarter saw both teams pretty much play out an even contest out in the middle.
The second quarter saw Prashant Chauhan keep the side in the contest, pulling off a stunning reflex save. Soon after, India established a lead through Lakra. Lakra finished off a perfect pass from Dilpreet Singh to send his side into the lead.
India’s second goal came off a penalty corner with Dilpreet-Lakra combination once again at the mix of it. India went into the break with a comfortable 2-0 lead.
Coming on in the third quarter, India showed no signs of slowing down and put the game to bed once and for all. Shilanand Lakra, Sudeep Chirmako and Uttam Singh constantly kept testing Australia’s defence and forced a number of saves from their goal keeper.
Following their emphatic win over Australia, India will now face Great Britain in their final league stage match on Friday.
