Indian men’s hockey team continues dominance Pakistandefeated their opponents 4-3 in an International Hockey Federation Pro League match at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Center in London on Tuesday.India, coming into the match on the back of two superb wins against the Netherlands and Germany, were undoubtedly the better side and deservedly emerged victorious.However, Pakistan suffered a huge shock when they scored the first goal in front of a sparse crowd. In the eighth minute, Ahmad Nadeem’s shot from a penalty corner caught the Indian defense completely off guard.India responded strongly, scoring four goals through Abhishek (22′), Neelakanta Sharma (24′), Sukhjit Singh (40′) and Rajinder Singh (52′), and seemed to make the game too much for Pakistan.However, Pakistan is not ready to give up. They upped the tempo in the 53rd minute, pulling India back and reducing the deficit when captain Abu Mahmood fired a shot from the penalty spot through the legs of goalkeeper Suraj Karkera. Kakla had a great game but will be disappointed if he doesn’t continue to work hard.The action continued to swing from one end of the pitch to the other, with India also having chances to score after winning a corner. They failed to do so but Pakistan equalized in the final minute when Moeen Shakir scored from a rebound after the visitors won their eighth penalty corner of the match.The win helped India extend their unbeaten run against Pakistan since the Men in Blue lost Souths in 2016 Asian Games The final was held in Guwahati. The two teams will meet again on Friday and India will be keen to maintain this record.Before that, India will face England, which will be a tougher test. Meanwhile, Pakistan will take on the hosts on Wednesday, although their fate is already sealed. With 13 consecutive losses and no points, they are about to be relegated from the professional league. On the other hand, India have 13 points from as many matches.Despite the victory, head coach Craig Fulton had some concerns, particularly as India failed to convert any of their 11 corner kicks and were prone to conceding goals late in the game – something that also happened against Germany.What pleased Fulton, however, was how calm his players were in the circle. Their goals were brilliant, especially those from Abhishek and Sukhjit.One can now just wait and see if India can repeat this goal-scoring performance against England.
