Bhopal, 20 May (H.S.): The Indian Under-18 women’s hockey team registered a commanding 4-1 victory over the Australia Under-18 women’s team in the final match of the four-match series played on Wednesday at the Udhav Das Mehta (Bhai Ji) Central SAI Centre in Bhopal.

Australia started strongly and took the lead in the 8th minute of the first quarter when Aurora Kovacevic scored, putting the visitors ahead 1-0. However, India quickly responded, with captain Sweety Kujur scoring in the 13th minute to level the score at 1-1.

In the second quarter, India maintained its momentum. Diya scored in the 25th minute to give the hosts a 2-1 lead, which they carried into halftime.

India continued to dominate in the second half. In the 44th minute of the third quarter, Priyanka Minz extended the lead to 3-1. In the final quarter, Naushin Naz sealed the victory with a goal in the 50th minute, securing a comprehensive 4-1 win for India.

With this win, the Indian team ended the exposure series on a strong note. The tour is considered an important preparation for the upcoming Under-18 Asia Cup, scheduled to begin later this month in Japan.

However, despite the final-match victory, Australia won the four-match exposure series 3-1 overall.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar