Indian women’s hockey team fought till the final hooter but went down 2-3 to New Zealand in the third game of the five-match series. The hosts are now 3-0 up in the series.
After suffering a 2-8 loss in their previous game, the Indian women came out strongly on Wednesday.
They looked a dangerous unit, putting up a structured performance with good attack, strong long drives, cross field passes, which put the hosts on the backfoot and constantly kept them in the hunt.
The visitors played aggressively right from the word go and their strategy paid off in the first quarter when they found an early lead. It was Deep Grace Ekka who converted a penalty corner in the ninth minute after her first attempt found the foot of a New Zealand defender.
But the hosts were quick to equalise with Ella Gunson converting a penalty stroke in the 13th minute.
The Black Sticks ended the first quarter with a 2-1 lead with Deanna Ritchie scoring a field goal in the 15th minute.
New Zealand scored the third goal through Shiloh Gloyn in the 39th minute.
India keeper Savita was kept busy by Kiwi strikers through the third quarter. She did well to keep New Zealand from taking further lead.
India earned a penalty corner in the 59th minute. A cleverly planned and executed variation saw Rani pass the ball to Monika who made no mistake in sending the ball into the goal.
The dying minutes saw Indian women make desperate attempts to find space and go for a draw but with time ticking away, they had to settle for a 2-3 result.
The two teams will play their fourth match on May 19.
The result: New Zealand 3 (Ella Gunson 13, Deanna Ritchie 15, Shiloh Gloyn 39) bt India 2 (Deep Grace Ekka 9, Monika 59).
