Indian men's hockey team settles for 1-1 draw with Netherlands in Spain

The Indian men's hockey team settled for a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands in their second outing at the 100th Anniversary Spanish Hockey Federation - International Tournament in Barcelona on Wednesday.

In an intensely fought match, India took the lead as captain Harmanpreet Singh scored in the 12th minute from a penalty corner. The Men in Blue created chances in the circle and secured the lead when the team earned a penalty corner.

Earlier, the Netherlands earned the first PC of the match, but the Indian defence was successful in deflecting the shot.

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The Netherlands, however, levelled the score in the 40th minute through a Jasper Brinkman goal.

Although it was the Dutch side that earned the first PC of the match, the flick was dragged wide to the left of the post.

India were spot on the first PC they got when Harmanpreet picked up a fine delivery by vice-captain Hardik Singh.

In the second quarter, both teams got PCs, but none of them could convert those chances. In the third quarter, both teams kept the goalkeepers Maurits Visser and PR Sreejesh busy, but neither side could break the deadlock.

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Finally, it was the experienced drag-flicker Jasper Brinkman who broke the deadlock for the Dutch as he levelled scores with a splendid effort to convert the PC.

The fourth quarter remained tense with both teams pushing for a lead. Though they both created several chances, they could not convert.

In their first match, India had lost to hosts Spain, but they bounced back on Wednesday with an impressive performance.

(With PTI inputs)