The Indian women held world No. 2 Australia to a 2-2 draw in the second round-robin match of the Olympic test event in Tokyo on Sunday.
The match saw India twice cancel Australia's lead through Vandana Katariya (36th minute) and Gurjit Kaur (59th) to earn a creditable draw. Kaitlin Nobbs (14th) and Grace Stewart (43rd) scored for the Australians.
World No. 10 India started aggressively, matching Australia's attacking hockey with their own which saw both teams earn penalty corners. However, neither managed to score.
In the 14th minute, when Australia were awarded a penalty stroke after an Indian defender blocked a shot at goal, Kaitlin Nobbs made no mistake in converting from the spot. The Hockeyroos dominated the second quarter completely, putting the Indian team under pressure through multiple attacks and penalty corners.
But, India's defence held firm and goalkeeper Savita made a couple of great saves to deny her opponents as Australia took their lead into the half-time break.
The starting of the third quarter again saw Australia dominate possession and creating a couple of goal-scoring opportunities through penalty corners. However, Savita made fine saves again to deny the Australians.
On the other hand, India struck on the break as Vandana Katariya finished off a superb team-move to equalise for her team in the 36th minute. But the lead did not last for much time as Australia started to look for their second goal. It was in the 43rd minute that they finally found a second through some exquisite team work, which saw Grace Stewart also registering her name on the score-sheet and giving Australia a 2-1 lead.
It was a tough ask for the Indian team as Australia played well, and did not give them enough space inside the striking circle. However, the World No. 10 team showed determination as they kept looking for the equalizer in the last quarter. With moves breaking down, and chances going begging, it looked like Australia would hold onto their 2-1 lead, but with just a couple of minutes remaining on the clock, India won themselves a crucial penalty corner in the 59th minute. India's prolific drag-flicker Gurjit Kaur stepped up, and struck a sweet blow into the back of the net, to earn her side a well-deserved draw.
After an impressive 6-0 win against Malaysia in their opening match, the Indian men's hockey team suffered a 1-2 defeat at the hands of World No. 8 New Zealand. Captain and drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh gave India the lead in the second minute by converting a penalty corner, but New Zealand struck back in the last quarter through two well-crafted field goals which were scored by Jacob Smith (47th) and Sam Lane (60th). The defeat means that India sit at the second spot in the points table with one match to go, which will be against hosts Japan on August 20.