New Delhi: A seven-goal extravaganza on Friday saw India beat South Africa 4-3 in the fourth hockey Test to take a winning lead in the five-match series being played here at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.
After conceding a 0-1 lead at the stroke of half-time, the hosts went on a goal splurge in the second half, scoring four goals in 13 minutes of an attacking hockey display. However, the South Africans took advantage of some shoddy trapping by the Indians with two second-half goals before conceding the series in a tight finish.
Yuvraj Walmiki overcame his disappointing performance in the third match with two goals, while penalty-corner specialist VR Raghunath and winger SK Uthappa scored one apiece. Justin Reid Ross, Ian Haley and Lloyd Madsen were the marksmen for South Africa.
It was India who began on a swift note through wingers SV Sunil and Tushar Khandekar playing as outside right and left respectively. Skipper for the match Shivender Singh came close to putting India ahead after a lapse by the SA defence but the slice hit was way off target even though he had only the goalkeeper Erasmus Pieterse to beat.
South Africa took the lead against the run of play in the 14th minute. The Indian defence's failure to clear the ball presented Reid Ross an easy opportunity and the South African No. 25 went past Bharat Chetri's outstretched right leg to sound the board with a clean strike.
The visitors got their first PC in the 18th minute. Chetri padded the attempted drag-flick which ballooned right in front of Chingelnsana Singh, who launched a counter combining with SV Sunil and Sardar. But Pieterse was alert to the task and stopped two strikes - first by Yuvraj and then the rebound by Sardar.
India tried numerous times to draw level before the hooter but were let down by some sloppy trapping. SA came close to increasing the lead in their 31st minute but were denied by Chetri, who came up with another good save.
India kept chasing the game at the start of second half and were saved twice with goal-line saves by an alert Ignace Tirkey - first off a PC and then when Chetri was beaten by the visitors' forward line.
India then struck a purple patch from the 44th to 56th minute, rattling the South Africans with four goals. Walmiki finally converted one in the 44th minute when SV Sunil's swift stick-work dodged a couple of defenders, before he made the assist to Yuvraj, who struck the equaliser.
India upped the ante thereafter, with Raghunath scoring off a PC in the 49th and Yuvraj getting his second off another PC in the 52nd when Raghunath's aerial flick was saved by Pieterse in the goal but the rebound fell in front of Shivender, who pushed a centre that deflected into the net off Yuvraj's stick.
South Africa made it 3-2 in the 54th as Haley took advantage of some gaps in the Indian defence when the hosts went on an all-out attack in the latter part of the second half. India then consolidated their lead in the 56th minute, benefiting from another rebound off Pieterse's pads and Uthappa made no mistake to make it 4-2.
South Africa made a last-ditch effort to come back with a 64th-minute PC conversion by captain Austin Smith, but India held on to reach full-time and take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
India coach Michael Nobbs admitted the lack of consistency in finishing but was happy with the team's circle penetrations.
"Consistency is still not there because we are trying around a few things in the series. We penetrated the opponent's circle 37-38 times today, but our finishing wasn't that good," Nobbs admitted.
Meanwhile, South Africa coach Gregg Clark wasn't particularly happy with his team's penalty corner conversion and the fact that they had conceded four goals.
"We should not have conceded four goals in one half and our penalty corner conversion rate has been pretty poor in the whole series. We'll go back to the drawing board and try to improve."
The last match of the series will be played on January 22.
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