India put up a shoddy display and was outplayed 1-4 by Olympic champions and holders Australia in their opening game of the 15th Azlan Shah hockey tournament, at the Bukit Zalil stadium in Kuala Lumpur, on Sunday.
The Indians failed miserably to cash on the chances that came their way and conceded easy openings to the Aussies, thereby losing momentum early in the match.
Troy Elder (6th minute), Matt Naylor (11th and 41st) and Luke Doerner (62nd) scripted the Australian onslaught while Tejbir Singh's goal in the 22nd minute provided some consolation to the Indians.
India's deep defence, marred by poor marking, was exposed in the initial moments of the game with Elder and Naylor's incisive right wing moves.
Both the scorers were left unmarked inside the circle and it was much the same when Naylor scored the third goal for Australia after the change of ends.
The result could have been different had Arjun Halappa scored from close in the fourth minute following a right wing counter attack.
India managed to get the upper hand midway through the first half when Australia were reduced to 10 men following a yellow card suspension of skipper Brent Livermore.
Immediately after, India pulled one back through Tejbir, who put home a loose ball from penalty-corner.
Early in the second half, Australia virtually clinched the issue when Naylor shot home for a 3-1 lead.
India wasted one of their best chances when star striker Gagan Ajit Singh failed to connect a cross from Halappa in the 42nd minute.
The match was held up for about 20 minutes following heavy rain. On resumption, Australia extended their dominance and closed the match by striking their fourth goal from a penalty-corner minutes before the final hooter.
In their next outing on Monday, India take on hosts Malaysia. In a Pool B match played earlier, New Zealand rallied from a 0-2 first-half deficit to overcome Argentina 3-2. Argentina appeared to be on top when Matias Vila converted two penalty-corners in the 11th and 30th minutes, but on resumption, the South American outfit wilted in the high humidity. The Kiwis made the best of the offerings to slot home three goals through Hayden Shaw (38th), Gareth Brooks (42nd) and Richard Petherick (62nd). In another pool A match, hosts Malaysia drew 2-2 with Korea. Mohammad Shukri Abdul Mutalib gave Malaysia the lead in the 14th minute, but the Koreans leveled 10 minutes from close with a goal by Hyo Sik You. However, Malaysia struck again in the 62nd through Chua Boon Huat before Korea caught up again in the 68th on Jong Hyun Jang's penalty-corner conversion.
