November 29, 2016 to November 30, 2022. Indian senior men’s wait for a win against the mighty Australia was long. In between, there was a Pro League encounter in Odisha that saw India hold Australia for a 2-2 draw and prevail in the shootout for a bonus point. But it wasn’t an outright win.

The wait was not only long… it was rather painful too. A 7-1 defeat against the Kookaburras at the Tokyo Olympics was a low point (but also a turning point as India recovered well to win bronze). A 7-0 defeat against the Kookaburras at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games final was tough to swallow for everyone concerned, especially because the evening began with hope. In the first two matches of the ongoing Test series in Adelaide, India had lost 4-5 and 4-7… closer matches for sure, but heartbreaks nevertheless.

In the last four matches against the Kookaburras, India had conceded a total of 26 goals. So, if they had to end the winless run – like a good-old field goal – it had to start at the back and finish with the forwards.

And so PR Sreejesh and a moment of late brilliance from a trio of Indian players saw the wait end…

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