One goal off 15 penalty corners is not a statistic the Indian hockey team will be proud of particularly since they have one of the world’s best drag flickers leading the pack in skipper Harmanpreet Singh. But that’s exactly what transpired at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium on Friday when Japan’s first rusher in penalty corner defence, Raiki Fujishuma, time and again intercepted India’s drag flicks.

“It’s not that we didn’t try, but Japan defended their penalty corners very well. We were expected to win this so a draw is not a nice feeling,” coach Fulton said at the post-match media conference.