Marlow, England, Sep 28 (UNI) The Indian women's hockey team registered a 2-1 victory over the hosts Great Britain and took 1-0 lead in the five-match series, here on Saturday.
In a highly stressful first quarter, neither team managed to break the deadlock. Despite attacking efforts from both sides, it was the two defences that stood out, holding fort to ensure the scoreboard was untouched, at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, India took control of the game and won a couple of Penalty Corners in the opening minutes, forcing smart saves from Maddie Hinch.
However, Great Britain's had an opportunity, but India's goal Savita pulled off a smart save, to deny their opponents an opener. The two teams went into a half-time, locked in a goalless stalemate.
India controlled the action in the third quarter, but despite multiple circle penetrations, Great Britain's defence held strong, to deny an opener.
Great Britain broke through first in the final quarter, with Emily Defrond scoring in the 46th minute to give them the lead. Despite going down India kept up the pressure and soon reaped the dividends, Sharmila Devi carrying out a superb goal to level the scores.
With 48 seconds of the game to play, India won a Penalty Corner and this time Gurjit slotted the ball home to give India a much-deserved win.
The second match of the series will be played on Sunday at 2000 hrs IST.
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