India vs Australia, Hockey Test Series, Match 1 Highlights: Kookaburras win 5-1; Gurjant Singh scores consolation goal

Match 2 will be 2 pm IST on Sunday, and perhaps a quick turnaround is not the worst of things for India. They'd need be much better on the ball for starters. Join us on Sunday for updates from the 2nd match. 

Kookaburras just too good on the day once again, some of their passing in the final third was just so mesmeric (and rather quick). Gurjant scored a good goal, Sreejesh was sharp between posts but India weren't up to the mark on either end of the pitch.

The hooter goes as the sun sets in Perth. At least one goal in every quarter for the Kookaburras who ran out comfortable winners. Gurjant Singh scored India's solitary goal. Harman & co had some decent moment in the final quarter but a phase in Q3 was a nightmare as they scored two in two minutes. 

Into the final minute. 

Flynn Ogilvie coolly lifts over Krishan Pathak, after the Indian goalkeeper does well to save the original drag flick from the short corner. Just when we thought Australia might be seeing this out, they step up a gear and score. Chastening evening for India. 

And as we say that, Aussie attacking pressure leads to a PC. A very tired backstick from Amit Rohidas. The commentator reckon that should be a backstroke. 

More good work from Raheel, who has had an impressive game for India today. Some pressure from the visitors in the closing stages, but Australia hold on. Less than 5 mins to go. Australia just seem to have taken the foot off the pedal. 

Down the other end, Pathak has to be alert comes out to cut the angle on a cutback from the right flank.

Raj Kumar Pal with superb work navigating a whole host of Aussie defenders to win a PC. Harmanpreet takes this drag flick, it is powerfully struck but straight at Charter. India have another PC from the rebound. This is to Charter's right and it is saved! 

CHANCE! Jarmanpreet with a good overlap down the right flank, found by Raj Kumar. The ball from Jarman is in a dangerous area but Abhishek can't get the touch. That was a good move. 

India on the scoresheet! The broadcast missed it live as well. On replay it comes right off the free hit in defence, Raheel with a superb pass into the circle, Gurjant Singh's strike is powerful enough to beat the defence. 

An early penalty corner for Australia in the final quarter. Good work down the left byline. The PC is dealt with by good rushing though. Amit stepping up there. 

A shot on target for India! A ball into the box, deflected towards goal but saved by the Aussie goalkeeper. Not quite sure who took the shot as shadows descend on the field. Might have been Nilakanta. Either way, no breakthrough for India as Q3 winds down. 

The Indian shoulders have dropped and the pressure on their defence is mounting. But as we say that, a rare foray forward with Lalit and Abhishek combining well. But the final shot doesn't happen. More pressure on the Indian defence down the other end and it is a massive save by Sreejesh. 

Oh dear. Mistakes galore from the Indians deep in their own half. Quite a few missed passes, and eventually Manpreet Singh's mistake is punished by Wickham. It's his 2nd goal. Horror couple of minutes for India. 

And there is the third. Rintala with the final touch but some great work by Wickham and Willott in the build-up. The latter sends a reverse hit pass into the danger area and there could have been two Aussies who scored, Rintala was the one who did eventually. 

Once again the Aussies showing off their passing skills through the middle. 

Sumit with a superb run deep from India's defence, breaking the pressure really well, then the ball breaks down the left but the move ends with a mistrap from Shamsher. Nice move until that. 

Oh dear, Amit Rohidas under no pressure in defence passes the ball straight into touch. That is not a good sign for the second half. A shot on goal from Australia a few minutes later, just wide. 

Second half underway. India really need to show more control going forward. The strikers have been below par. 

Flynn Ogilvie: "I think the more we move the ball quickly and with purpose, we'll get them out of shape."

If the Aussies think they are not moving the ball quickly enough in that first half, India have more problems to be honest. Some of their passing was just breathtakingly relentless. 

The half winds down with some passive possession for India. They had the ball for the last couple of minutes but nothing incisive came out of it. India must be really disappointed with their forward-play. 

Harmanpreet with another lovely aerial ball, Abhishek has the chance to test the goalkeeper but it is saved. Better from India as the half winds down. 

The match once again shows how crucial Hardik Singh is for India. Craig Fulton has rested him today to try out other players. Without him, though, India have lacked the sharpness. He’s one player who, as he’s admitted earlier, likes to do the dirty job: bail out the defence, join the attack, create chances… The all-rounders services are being dearly missed, especially going forward.

The speed of Australia's passing is just incredible! They are just so good at intuitively knowing where their next pass is. So hard to defend against. India down the other end have a counter chance started by Harman but the final third play is again disappointing. Mandeep Singh with an awful touch to let the ball run out of play. Had to do better. 

Important to note India haven’t had a decent shot at goal yet from open play. The link-up play in the attacking third is missing, a lot because the pressure Australia are putting on India’s ball carriers.

Oh dear. India seem to be dealing with the attacking pressure, couple of good tackles in the D but Wickham has managed to squeeze the ball in off the turf. Pathak in goal for this quarter and he reacted rather late there. 

Some Manreet Singh magic there! Down the left, diagonally towards goal, some superb dribbling by the No 7 as he wins a PC. But the trap is missed and the PC chance goes begging. 

India could have been worse off in the opening quarter, Sreejesh keeping it 0-1. India's brightest moments have come from causing turnovers but the final pass is missing. 

The attacking intensity from Australia in relentless. Whetton nearly puts in a superb diving finish. The Indians are sitting back in numbers and still trying to play the counterattacking game. But some good moments have come and gone due to stray passes in the final third. The first quarter comes to a close. India have done alright to limit the damage here, to be honest. Could easily have been worse off on the scoreboard. 

More brilliant forward play by the Aussies. A fine aerial ball down the left channel, Whetton cuts inside towards the goal and lets fly from a reverse hit, but saved by Sreejesh. India trying to counter again but lose the ball again. 

Amit Rohidas takes the first PC, goes for the top corner with his drag flick, it is just wide though. 

Chance India! Raheel loses the ball but does brilliantly to win it back immediately, finds Mandeep down the left, and the ball comes back to him. The deflection is saved. But India do have their first PC. 

SREEJESH SAES AGAIN! Another big save by the Indian veteran as the Aussie pressure piles on. A second PC, this one driven high at Sreejesh and he manages to get his gloves out in time. 

Just look how quick the Aussies are to close down India’s players when they are on the ball: putting pressure on the ball-carriers, not allowing them even a second to spot a pass… India’s players must know where they intend to play a pass before receiving the ball, can’t waste a second. Else, Australia won’t let them settle into the match.

SREEJESH SAVES! The runners are beaten by Rintala and only the goalkeeper to beat. But Sreejesh with a reflex save, putting his right foot out. 

More high intensity hockey at the edge of the circle by Australia, Zalewski does superbly to win a PC off Harmanpreet Singh. 

One of the hallmarks of Australia is just how quick they are on transitions. We saw that during the Pro League and we see it again today. Especially against India, it gets jarring. Mistakes on different parts of the field – starting right at the top where Mandeep was dispossessed cheaply, then losing 1v1 battles on the left wing and poor tackling inside the ‘D’ — mean India find themselves a goal down inside the first five minutes.

CHANCE INDIA! India look to attack right away, good move down the right with Manpreet involved, counter with numbers. The ball makes it to Abhishek in the center, his couple of shots are saved by Durst. 

An early lead for the hosts. Brand finds space down the left channel. Jarmanpreet is beaten by a shoulder feint, can't catch up with the Aussie. Sreejesh comes out to try and cut the angle, but is beaten. 

India break the high press from Australia really well to enjoy a nice spell of possession. After some patient buildup, Harmanpreet tries an aerial but it is overhit. 

India in their blue, Australia in their green and gold. The last two matches in Odisha were superb contests, very contrasting games too. What will we see today? Fulton knows all too well that India can't afford to start slow. Huddles done, off we go in Perth. Sreejesh in goal to start off. 

Aran Zalewski walks out with his daughter in his hand. A welcome address and now time for the National Anthems. 

"Way to the top wasn't easy, but as a team, the support, the push, the help, the competitiveness, the smile, the fun, gives the energy to beat obstacles"

Craig Fulton's India started their path to Paris from top of Table Mountain, next stop Australia.

?? https://t.co/PiresI7CjN pic.twitter.com/8CdaYrm5Py

— Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) March 30, 2024

No Hardik Singh for India today. Aran Zalewski is playing 250th time for Australia, the Kookaburras captain. No Blake Govers for Australia.

Craig Fulton, India coach: Happy to be here. Focus for today's game is obviously starting well. It's one of 5, important to put in a good performance. That's our first priority. It was really good matches in the Pro League, we learnt at lot about ourselves, we are on track. At the same time, you give any chance to them, they'll punish you. 

Colin Batch, Australia coach: Firstly, we are delighted India are here for this series, very important for our preparation. I am not sure who will be playing in their team, we have a big squad to pick from as well. Both teams will be looking to find their 16 for Paris. 

Before they climb the proverbial mountains in the coming months, starting by taking on Australia in Australia from April 6, India’s hockey team scaled an actual one. In Cape Town, last January.

The journey to the top of Table Mountain wasn’t just supposed to be a scenic hike with a group photo at the summit. It turned out to be a lesson in philosophy and goals were set.

“On the top of Table Mountain, we had a really good talk about what we’re trying to achieve this year. And relating it back to a journey of obviously getting to the summit and then obviously descending and doing everything together,” India coach Craig Fulton tells The Indian Express.

Read full interview here.

Fulton is still in the process of finalising the squad for Paris, but instead of narrowing the list down, he has opted to go with almost the entire core group, with 27 making the cut for the Perth tour. He hasn't hesitated to experiment with different combinations, but the objective will still be to beat the mighty Australia in Australia.

India's squad for Australia:  

Goalkeepers: Krishan Pathak, Pr Sreejesh, Suraj Karkera
Defenders: Harmanpreet Singh (C), Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Sanjay, Sumit, Amir Ali
Midfielders: Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh (VC), Vivek Sagar Prasad, Shamsher Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Rajkumar Pal, Vishnukant Singh
Forwards: Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Abhishek, Dilpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Gurjant Singh, Mohammed Raheel, Boby Singh Dhami, Araijeet Singh Hundal  

India vs Australia schedule (all matches in Perth): 

Match 1: 6 April 2.00 pm IST
Match 2: 7 April 2.00 pm IST
Match 3: 10 April 3.00 pm IST
Match 4: 12 April 3.00 pm IST
Match 5: 13 April 2.00 pm IST

Historically, India have a poor record against Australia. Since 2013, the two teams have met 43 times and Australia have won 28 of those with India winning just 8, and 7 matches being drawn. One of those 8 wins came when India toured Australia in 2022, the first outright victory against them in exactly six years. But even that was eventually in a 4-1 series defeat. A good start today would help India, of course. If the two recent matches in the Pro League were anything to go by (6-4 Australia win and a 2-2 draw), we are in for a cracking set of five matches. 

The last time the Indian men's hockey team toured Australia for a Test series – late in 2022 – the then coach Graham Reid had said India must 'desensitise' playing against the Kookaburras. "To make ourselves understand that we are good enough to beat them when we play well. We need to make sure our game is bulletproof.” 

The reason to use that expression is because, for a while now, Australia has been the Indian men's hockey team's Kryptonite. There was just an aura around them that somehow weakened India. Two results spring to mind immediately: The 7-1 thrashing in the group stage of Tokyo Olympics and just over a year later, a 7-0 hammering in the final of the Commonwealth Games. Both those times, the Indian team were near the top of their game and yet, against the Aussies, came undone.

That is why Craig Fulton, the current head coach, calls this upcoming tour – starting Saturday in Perth – a litmus test for where his team currently stands on the path to the Paris Olympics. 

"Obviously everyone knows that Australia is like India's bogey team in a way. It's very difficult to beat them. They are probably a bogey team for many except for Germany, I suppose. But it's a good challenge," Fulton told The Indian Express before departing for Australia.

Read more in our preview:

India’s hockey team enters home stretch by taking on its kryptonite, Australia

Hello all, and welcome to our live coverage of Indian men's hockey team. As Paris 2024 gets ever so closer, Harmanpreet Singh and Co head Down Under to take on their nemesis Australia. The Kookaburras have been Indian hockey's kryptonite for a while now. But Craig Fulton, India's current head coach, is hoping to change that. This five-match series takes on additional importance because India and Australia are in the same pool for Paris 2024. Buckle up, this could be a thrilling week in Perth.