India missed out on a great chance to square the four-Test hockey series in Pakistan on Friday. They squandered a two-goal advantage and were held 4-4 in a thrilling encounter in the fourth Test in Lahore.
India, who were leading 4-2 with just 13 minutes left, paid the price for being a trifle casual, as their arch-rivals bounced back strongly to score two goals in a span of 10 minutes and maintain their 2-1 lead in the series.
A mid-field blunder saw Akhtar Ali scoring in the 57th minute before a 67th minute strike by Rehan Butt helped Pakistan level the score in the final match of the Pakistan leg of the series at the National Hockey stadium.
The teams proceed to India on Saturday to play the Indian leg of four matches in the Friendship series.
The matches will be played in Delhi (October 4), Chandigarh (October 6), Amritsar (October 8) and Hyderabad (October 10).
Vikram Pillay (15th minute), Sandeep Singh (39th), Arjun Halappa (49th) and Ignace Tirkey (51st) scored for the Indians while Pakistan struck through Sohail Abbas (14th and 42nd), Akhtar Ali (57th) and Rehan Butt (67th).
The Indians played superbly for most of the match but a sloppy display towards the end dashed their hopes of winning the match and squaring the series.