Sports Minister M S Gill on Tuesday showered praise on India hockey players for their stunning 4-3 victory over world champions Australia in the ongoing Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia and said the win would instil confidence in the boys to perform well in future tournaments.
“I’m delighted that our boys have beaten world champion Australia. I congratulate the boys and I am confident that they will do well in the future matches as well,” Mr. Gill said in his congratulatory message.
Defending champion India dazzled with a near-perfect performance to stun higher-placed Australia for the first time in seven years in a pulsating round-robin match of the championship in Ipoh, Malaysia yesterday.
Tushar Khandker (19th and 32nd minute), captain Rajpal Singh (21st) and Shivendra Singh (61st) scored for India while Trent Milton (38th), Christopher Ciriello (40th) and Mark Paterson (70th) were the Australian marksmen.
With this win, India remained as the only undefeated side in the tournament and are atop the seven team table with ten points from three wins and one draw, while Australia have six points from three outings.
