The India Under-18 men’s hockey team ended their four-match series against Australia with a 3-3 draw at the Udhav Das Mehta (Bhai Ji) Central SAI Centre in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, on Wednesday.
The Under-18 men finished the series with one win, two draws, and one loss. India started the match strongly and scored two early goals, courtesy of Karan Gautam (10′), who converted a penalty corner in the 10th minute, followed by a field goal from Ben Siddharth (14′).
However, Australia fought back and equalised in the second quarter. Jet Johnstone (18′, 25′) scored a crucial brace to bring Australia level by halftime.
After a closely fought third quarter, India regained the lead thanks to a field goal by captain Ketan Kushwaha (40′). India did their best to defend the advantage, but Australia found another equaliser late in the game as Andrew Faulds (57′) scored a field goal with just three minutes remaining.