Australia started aggressively in the first quarter and appeared to have taken the lead in the second minute with a close-range shot, but India took a referral and the TV umpire disallowed the goal, ruling it dangerous.
In the fourth minute, Baljeet Kaur passed the ball to Ishika, but she lost possession inside the circle.
Australia came close to scoring again in the 10th minute when Amy Lawton attempted a reverse shot from the right, but veteran custodian Savita made a brilliant save.
In the 13th minute, Neha lost possession in midfield as Australia dominated the opening 15 minutes, although neither side managed to score.
In the very first minute of the second quarter, Australia earned a penalty corner, but the injection was poor. The ball still found the net after deflecting off an Indian defender’s stick.
Two minutes later, Grace Young attempted a reverse shot from inside the circle, which Bichu parried diving right.
Midfielder Ishika was injured in the 26th minute, while two minutes later Lalremsiami was hurt while attempting to snatch the ball from an Australian player. She was struck on the knee at close range and received attention from the physio and umpire. She later returned to the field.
India received a penalty corner just before halftime when Salima Tete stepped forward, but the ball hit an Australian defender’s foot.
Deepika was not on the field at the time.
India tried a variation and, instead of a direct slap hit, Navneet played a square pass to Nikki, who was clumsy in execution as the ball bounced off her foot.