The Hindu : Sport : India rallies to win

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 29, 2007
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Sport

Sport

India rallies to win

Principal Correspondent

NEW DELHI: India rallied from a goal down to beat New Zealand 6-4 to win the Johnnie Walker Gold Cup 16-goal polo match at the Jaipur Polo Ground here on Sunday.

Defender Vishal Singh was the star in the Indian win, scoring thrice in a match that the visitor dominated for the first two chukkers. Vishal scored two equalisers in the first two chukkers before giving the crucial lead in the third.

The match started with the Kiwi captain Robert Watson slotting the first goal in the very first minute of the game. Vishal made an excellent counterattack and struck the equaliser before Paul Kay and Robert Watson made it 3-1.

India opened the second chukker with a goal from Manupal Godara before Vishal scored off a solo attempt to make it 3-3. The complexion of the match changed in the third as Kay fell from his mount, but escaped without any injuries. Vishal put India ahead before Dhruvpal made it 5-3. Waston struck towards the end of the penultimate chukker. In the decider, Indian captain Uday Kalaan scored India’s sixth goal from an acute angle.

Watson made quite a few attempts, but failed to control the ball at the finish as the match slipped out of New Zealand’s grasp.

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