The Vantage Black Sticks Men have been defeated 3-0 by India in their second match at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia.
Both teams started strongly in the first quarter before India snatched the ascendancy just towards the end of the half and kept the pressure on for the
rest of the match.
India opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when Mandeep Singh showed quick reflexes to deflect a high shot at goal past goalkeeper Devon Manchester.
The Black Sticks saw the deficit double just minutes later after Harmanpreet Singh ripped a low and hard flick into goal from a penalty corner.
New Zealand fought hard in the second half but struggled to sustain any momentum in the face of a determined Indian defence.
India sealed the result in the 47th minute with Harmanpreets second penalty corner strike, this one soaring into the roof of the net.
The Vantage Black Sticks have a rest day at the tournament tomorrow before going up against Japan at 10pm on Tuesday night (NZT), with live coverage on SKY Sport 4.
In other fixtures at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup today, Japan play Great Britain before Australia take on hosts Malaysia.
VANTAGE BLACK STICKS 0
INDIA 3: (Harmanpreet Singh 2, Mandeep Singh)
Halftime: India 2-0
- This story has been automatically published using a media release from Hockey NZ
