The experience and the might of Indian Railways was too much to handle for a young Hockey Karnataka side as the former scripted a 5-2 victory in the final of the 94th MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup all-India hockey tournament here on Sunday.
The hero of the match was drag-flick expert and former junior international Pratap Lakra, who scored a hat-trick.
From the beginning, Railways played and executed its plan to a ‘T’. The former champion hardly gave any leeway to the speedy Karnataka forwards. In fits and starts, Karnataka kept attacking Railways’ citadel at every given opportunity. In the same vein, its defence, too, was sturdy; the interceptions at the back showed the young team’s capability.
