Indian junior hockey team bounce back to finish England tour on a high
The Indian junior hockey team, on Monday evening, overturned an early disadvantage to defeat the home side 3-1 to conclude their 2016 Tour of England on a positive note. In the seven matches played, the boys in blue have won an impressive five in resounding fashion, losing the other two matches against the English side with similar 1-2 results in each.
The series finale on 1st August had begun with Ed Horler finding the net from open play to take the lead for England within minutes. Coming off the back of twin defeats, the onus was now on the visitors to turn things around as they trailed the hosts by a solitary goal.
It was defender Varun Kumar who provided the equaliser for India during the course of the first half before the players were called off the pitch for a short while due to rain. In the remaining minutes after resumption of the game, it stayed 1-1 till the interval which set up an interesting latter half, to mark the last lap of India’s series.
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Punjab forward Parvinder Singh was the next man to get on to the scoresheet as he fetched India’s second goal of the night. With an accelerated approach, both sides looked threatening on the ball as the game headed to the dying stages. Vikramjit Singh denied England the possibility of a comeback with a late strike that steered India into a comfortable 3-1 scoreline.
As the hooter blew to signal the end of the match, Harendra Singh’s boys left the turf amidst a lot of cheer, having put up a praiseworthy show throughout the tournament on foreign soil. The tour is certain to bring out a lot of positives and crucial pointers ahead of the Junior World Cup to be held in December.