India stun world champs Germany in the FIH Pro League Hockey

Rourkela : Striker Sukhjeet Singh struck a second-half brace as India stunned reigning world champions Germany 3-2 in the FIH Pro League hockey, their first outing after the World Cup debacle, in Rourkela, on Friday night.

The 26-year-old Sukhjeet, one of the players who survived the axe after India's shock pre-quarterfinal exit in the World Cup in January, scored in the 31st and 42nd minutes, both goals coming from field efforts.

His captain Harmanpreet Singh, joint top-scorer in the tournament so far, had given the home side the lead in the 30th minute through a penalty corner conversion at the Birsa Munda Stadium.

Harmanpreet had also flopped big time during the World Cup held Rourkela and in Bhubaneswar as he had struggled to find the target from his drag flick in the big matches in the showpiece.

India were 3-0 up in the 42nd minute before Paul-Philipp Kaufmann and Michel Struthoff struck for Germany in the 44th and 57th minutes respectively.

India face Australia on Sunday and Germany again in the second leg on Monday. Agencies

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