PESHAWAR, 30 September 2004 — Short corner specialist Sohail Abbas regained his golden touch when it mattered most scoring a winner two minutes from the final whistle to lead Pakistan to a thrilling 3-2 victory over India in the third game of the GT Challenge Test Series here at the Lala Ayub Stadium yesterday.
Sohail, who has been off-target in this series after finishing as the highest scorer at the Olympic Games in Athens, converted Pakistan’s only short corner goal of the match just when India were almost sure of a draw that would have kept the series level at 1-1. Now Pakistan lead 2-1.
Before Sohail’s winner, India had fought their way into the match after conceding a 0-2 lead in the first half, scoring through young forward Tushar Khandekar and Arjun Halappa to make it 2-2 in the 61st minute of the exciting encounter.
“It was a close match and the pressure was on us after the 1-4 defeat in the last Test in Quetta,” Sohail, also the team’s vice captain, said after the match. “I have not been scoring many goals in these Tests but when we got a short corner just before the end of the match I knew it was one opportunity that I had to avail and thankfully I did,” added Sohail, who is now just five goals away from becoming the highest goal scorer of all time. He will surpass Dutch legend Paul Litjens’ record of 267 goals.
Pakistan started the match at a fast pace and kept the Indian defense under pressure right from the word go. But India responded well with a number of counter attacks that spiced up the contest. Both India and Pakistan got a short corner each in the first quarter but were unable to score.
Left-winger Shabbir Hussain found himself in a perfect position to give the hosts the lead but missed a sitter. However, just seconds later Mudassar Ali Khan’s powerful strike from the left edge of the circle made it 1-0 for Pakistan in the 15th minute.
India went all out for an equalizer and a Vikram Pillay’s effort earned them a short corner but rookie short corner striker Sandeep Singh, whose two goals proved vital for the visitors in Quetta, miscued the ball.
Pakistan junior team skipper Shakeel Abbasi put another in from close range on an assist from Shabbir in the 25th minute to give Pakistan a 2-0 lead at half time.
India raised the momentum in the second half with some swift forays. They earned another short corner but Sandeep Singh’s flick was blocked well by Rehan Butt. Pakistan forced a short corner just minutes later but a lightning flick from Sohail just flew over the cross bar.
India’s relentless pressure for goals was rewarded in the 48th minute when Khandekar scored a superb goal on a counter attack. They got a couple of scoring chances in the next few minutes but Sandeep Michael and Vikram Pillay fluffed it. Then a speedy move from the left got India the equalizer in the 61st minute when Halappa’s well-placed volley was good enough to beat Pakistan’s otherwise agile goalie Salmam Akber.
India fell back in a bid to hold on to a draw, as Pakistan pressed for a winner, which finally came when Sohail earned the team’s third short corner just a couple of minutes before the hooter, which he comfortably converted.
The first leg of the series will conclude with the fourth Test in Lahore on Oct. 1. The teams will then travel to India to play four more Tests.
