New Delhi, Jul 19: Ace drag-flicker Sandeep Singh continued his red-hot form and struck twice as India defeated France 4-3 in the keenly-contested first hockey Test at the National Institute of Sport and Expert Performance (INSEP) in Paris.
India struck goals through Sandeep, who converted two penalty corners in the 12th and 65th minute, Tushar Khandker (5th) and captain Rajpal Singh (69th), while Fredric Soyez scored a hat trick (6th, 51st and 68th) for France in the first game of the three-match series yesterday.
High on confidence after their 2-0 series win over Belgium last week, the Indians began aggressively and nearly took the lead in the third minute but for Dharamvir Singh, who fumbled inside the circle.
But two minutes later, India surged ahead when Khandker sailed the ball into the net past French goalkeeper Mathias Dierckems after he was set up by Rajpal.