A last minute goal by penalty-corner ace Jugraj Singh enabled India hold World champions Germany to a 2-2 draw in the one-off hockey Test at Duisburg, Germany, on Wednesday night.
India, playing the first match of their Germany tour, were staring at defeat when Jugraj scored from a penalty-corner in the dying seconds to salvage a draw.
In a fast-paced match, the Indians squandered a 1-0 half-time lead and were trailing 1-2 before being reduced to nine men in the last two minutes, as captain Dhanraj Pillay and Kanwalpreet Singh were sent off.
However, Jugraj kept his nerve and found the net from the penalty-corner seconds before the hooter to restore parity.
Earlier, Gagan Ajit Singh gave India an early lead when he scored a field goal in the fourth minute of the match.
The Indians, fresh from a successful tour of Australia earlier this month, maintained the lead till the breather, keeping the hard-running German forwards at bay.
However, the defence slackened a bit in the second-half and Germany were able to pump in two goals through Reinelt Sascha Reneat and Florian Kunz.
When Pillay and Kanwalpreet were given the marching orders, it seemed all over for India. But Jugraj's strike ensured India's honour remained intact.
India now move to Hamburg to participate in a four-nation tournament, starting Friday, in which Germany, Spain and Argentina are the other teams.
