India was forced to settle for a 2-2 draw against a determined Scotland in the FIH Women’s World Cup Qualifiers at the G.M.C. Balayogi Stadium on Monday. After a dominant victory over Uruguay earlier, the host faced a much tougher contest as Scotland recovered from conceding the lead to earn a well-deserved point.
The match began with Scotland taking advantage of India’s sluggish start. In the sixth minute, the visitors earned a penalty corner after exploiting space in midfield. Jennifer Eadie’s dragflick was expertly deflected by Heather McEwan, giving Scotland an early 1-0 lead.
India attempted to respond in the opening quarter, with Udita and Navneet Kaur trying to raise the tempo. However, Scotland’s defence remained well organised and prevented any clear breakthroughs. India’s struggles continued just before the break when a penalty corner opportunity went to waste after Baljeet Kaur failed to trap the ball cleanly.
India came out with renewed intent after the restart and managed to equalise within three minutes. During a penalty corner move, Sushila Chanu initially mishandled the trap, but Navneet quickly recovered the ball. She exchanged a quick one-two with Sushila before firing a shot toward goal. The ball took a deflection off Scotland’s Eve Pearson and went into the net, bringing India back into the contest.
The host built on the momentum and soon took the lead. With just over a minute remaining before halftime, Rutuja Pisal won another penalty corner for India. Scotland could not clear the danger as Manisha Chauhan’s dragflick struck the woodwork, causing a scramble inside the circle. Sunelita Toppo reacted quickest to push the loose ball into the goal, putting India ahead 2-1.
However, Scotland showed strong resilience in the third quarter. Heather McEwan dispossessed Udita, sparking a swift attacking move. A series of sharp one-touch passes cut through India’s defence, allowing Fiona Burnet to calmly finish at the far post and level the score at 2-2.
The remainder of the third quarter saw India under heavy pressure as Scotland pushed forward aggressively. India even missed three penalty corners in the final minute of that period, failing to convert crucial opportunities.
In the final quarter, Navneet led India’s attacking efforts as the host searched for a winning goal. Despite the pressure from both sides, neither team could break the deadlock, and the match ended with the points shared.
In other results, Italy defeated Austria 3-0, England beat Korea 3-0, and Uruguay edged Wales 3-2 in another closely fought encounter.
