FIH Pro League: Mohith helps India stun Aussies in shootout

The Indian men’s hockey team took some consolation from the Hobart leg of Pro League when they rallied to a 1-1 draw against hosts Australia before clinching a 3-1 penalty shootout win at Tasmania Hockey Centre on Wednesday.It was a fine a performance by goalkeeper Mohith HS, making made three saves during the shootout to help India grab the bonus point.

“After the last two penalty shootout losses, the coach told me to come out of my blocks quickly and be a little more aggressive. He also told me to stay close to the attacker,” the youngster, who was named the player of the match, told TOI from Hobart.The advice helped as Mohith denied Tim Brand, Liam Henderson and Cooper Burns from converting their strokes.Even during regular time, he made numerous stops including a double save off Australia’s third PC in the third quarter. First, he kept out the ball from going over the line with his stick after it had had hit the right upright and then blocked the shot from the rebound with his right foot.Mohith has impressed throughout the Hobart leg and it had a lot to with the confidence that his teammates and coaches gave him. “In the beginning, I was under a bit of pressure, but when they told me that I did well in the first match (against Spain), it helped me to calm down and focus on my game,” added Mohith, who hails from the Hassan district in Karnataka.

Even though India can claim to end the Hobart leg with heads held high, they were below par for first three quarters on Wednesday. They failed to create chances, missed to convert penalty corners and gave away the ball easily.But it all changed after Australia took the lead in the 49th minute through Jeremy Hayward’s converted penalty corner. That goal woke India up and they equalized within two minutes with Shilanand Lakra (51st) finding the net.It began with Hardik Singh playing the ball to Abhishek on the right flank, who made a small run before firing the ball into the D where Poovanna Chandura Boby collected it and passed it to Shilanand.The young Odisha forward had a defender guarding him but still got down to make the stop and then turned around to fire the ball into the net.Within minutes, Shilanand mesmerized again when he carried the ball along the left baseline and won India their fourth PC.

Sadly, despite going for a variation, India failed to convert. They won another but this time Amandeep Lakra’s shot was blocked by the first rusher.It all came down to the shootout where Shilanand, Maninder Singh and Vishnukant Singh converted while Mohith made the saves, bringing some solace to the India players after enduring some tough times in the start to the international season.