The Australian men's hockey team have drawn 2-2 with hosts India in the first of their three-match series in Chhattisgarh.
Chris Ciriello's late equaliser for the Kookaburras cancelled out VR Ragunath's penalty corner double.
As he looks to expose some of his younger players to the rigours of top class international hockey, Kookaburras coach Graham Reid admitted his side struggled to control the match following their bright start.
"It's a great place to play hockey. It was a great experience, particularly for some of our younger players," Reid said.
"I thought we started very well, we pressed well but then we didn't control the ball well enough. Our structure was not compact throughout the match and we turned the ball over too much, which you can't do against a team like India."
Queenslander Dylan Wotherspoon gave Australia a deserved early opener as he found space inside the Indian circle to fire home high from Tom Craig's defence splitting pass in the ninth minute.
But it was Ragunath's penalty corner brace either side of halftime - one down the middle and one into the bottom left corner - that put India on the verge of victory before Victorian Ciriello's trademark low-drag flick locked things up with two minutes to play.
The second Test is on Monday morning (AEDT).
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