Sultan Of Johor Cup: India Lose 0-4 To Australia But Still Lead Points Table

Australia ended India Colts' unbeaten run at the Sultan of Johor Cup hockey tournament with a resounding 4-0 win at Johor Bahru, Malaysia on Wednesday. While India's forward line struggled to break the Australian defence, Daykin Stanger (33', 39', 53') scored a hat-trick of goals with Patrik Andrew (29') opening the deadlock. Despite the defeat, India continued to lead the points table with nine points while Australia (7 points) is placed third after New Zealand, who are in second place with eight points.

With three wins in their kitty and one more match left in the round robin league, India remain potential contenders to reach the final.

The table toppers faced a stiff challenge from the get-go as Australia resorted to high-press early in the game to control the ball possession.

The Australians used speed to their advantage, setting the momentum they needed to create shots on goal. With less than two minutes for the first hooter, the Aussie forward-line forayed into the striking circle and unleashed a fierce reverse hit but was off-target.

They found another opportunity to score when they earned a PC with just nine seconds left on the clock for the first hooter. But India goalie Bikramjit Singh made a brave save to end the quarter in a 0-0 stalemate.

Inspired by their coach, legendary goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, Ali Khan made a grand save off a penalty stroke which India conceded in the 18th minute. Quick on the counter attack, India earned a PC but the drag-flick was deflected by Aussie defence.

In the following minutes, both teams traded PCs before Australia's Andrew drew the first blood in the 29th minute when he managed a brilliant reverse hit from the left flank. The 1-0 lead at the stroke of break left India stunned.