India men's hockey team succumbs to first defeat in Argentina tour
After two consecutive defeats, Argentina finally got to taste success when they beat India 1-0 in the third FIH Pro League practice match in Cenard, Buenos Aires. The Indians had earlier made a dream start to their campaign, beating the Olympic champions 2-2 (3-2) and 3-0 in the first couple of practice matches.
Brimming with confidence from previous games, the visitors started the match with frequent circle penetrations from forwards Lalit Upadhyay and Rajkumar Pal. While the Argentina defense kept the Indians at bay, Lucas Toscani broke the deadlock in the eighth minute.
Although the Indians created several scoring opportunities through Shilanand Lakra and Mandeep Singh, none could capitalize on them.
Krishan Bahadur Pathak excels under the Indian bar
Krishan Bahadur Pathak, who completed 50 international caps for India in the second FIH Pro League encounter, was once again rock solid under the bar. India could have equalized in the third quarter when defender Surender Kumar earned a penalty corner, but the dragflickers squandered.
The hosts earned a penalty corner too towards the end of the quarter, but failed to get past veteran PR Sreejesh.
India pushed hard for an elusive equalizer in the final quarter. It was a battle of nerves in the final 15 minutes as young strikers Dilpreet Singh, Shilanand and Mandeep had several shots on goal.
However, all their efforts went in vain as no one managed to break the Argentine defensive wall led by Vivaldi. The hosts thus held on to the lead to register their maiden win of the tournament.
As per the schedule, India are to play eight FIH Pro League matches with four different teams in May. But with the rising COVID cases in India and stricter rules likely to be put in place, things look a bit bleak for the Men in Blue as far as travel is concerned.