India 'A' let slip the lead to play out a 1-1 draw with Northern Territory in a pool B encounter of the Australian Hockey League here today.
India scored through Mohammad Umar, who converted a field goal in the sixth minute of the match, giving the team a 1-0 lead in the first quarter.
A well-executed defensive structure saw the team keep up the lead in the following minutes. The second quarter saw India forwards Armaan Qureshi and Affan Yousuf come close to scoring a goal.
Northern Territory put up an improved performance in the third quarter forcing a defensive error by India, who conceded a penalty stroke. Adrian Lockley made no mistake in converting the stroke that levelled the score 1-1 in the 34th minute.
The score-line continued to remain constant all through the remaining minutes of the third quarter.
Though India pushed hard for a goal in the final quarter, Northern Territory stayed resilient. The final few minutes of the match continued to remain tense for both the teams but they eventually ended in a 1-1 draw.
India will play Australian Capital Territory in their next Pool B encounter tomorrow.
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