The Indian men's hockey team's Australia series ended without a high as the home team maintained their winning momentum with a 2-3 victory in the fifth and final match.
Craig Fulton made eight changes with Hardik Singh and PR Sreejesh being rested for Saturday's match. Considering Australia's form and with many changes, it was a tough proposition for India to find a win. However, India started the match really well, created a few chances and scored the opening goal.
It was the fourth time that India took a lead in the series and once again, it was Harmanpreet Singh's rocket from a penalty corner. Only four minutes had gone on the clock when India took a 1-0 lead. Australia's attacking hockey was not its best as they struggled to create clear-cut chances in the opening quarter.
The home team found the equaliser in the 20th minute when Jeremy Hayward smashed in from the team's first penalty corner of the match. He has been a big difference in the series, often turning the matches around with his dragflicks. This was his seventh goal of the series, out of which six came from penalty corners.
Once Australia equalised, they were back to being their best. They found their groove and kept entering the Indian circle from all sides. India somehow managed not to concede in the second quarter but eventually Ky Willott came up with a cheeky finish to give his team the lead in the 38th minute. A minute later, Tim Brand took advantage of sloppy defence as he found plenty of space inside the circle to score Australia's third goal.
In the final quarter, India showed urgency on the ball and it was in fact youngster Boby Singh Dhami who scored India's second goal and reduced the deficit. Dhami was one of the best players on the pitch, impressing with his trickery and high work rate. India pushed for an equaliser but Australia's defence did the job to secure the win.
Relive the match on our blog: