Perth, Oct 2 (IANS): India 'A' were held 1-1 by Northern Territory in a Pool B clash of the Australian Hockey League (AHL) here on Monday.

India got off the blockson an attacking mode, finding spaces in the opponent's circle right from the start. The efforts paved way for Mohammad Umar who scored a field goal in the sixth minute of the match.

A well-executed defensive structure saw the team keep up the lead in the following minutes and the team continued to keep the pressure on with a disciplined game.

The second quarter saw India forwards Armaan Qureshi and Affan Yousuf display entertaining hockey with fast-paced manoeuvres that saw them come close to doubling the lead.

Northern Territory put up an improvised performance in the third quarter, forcing a defensive error on India's part resulting in a penalty stroke. Adrian Lockley made no mistake in converting the penalty stroke that equaled the score 1-1 in the 34th minute.

The score-line continued to remain constant all through the remaining minutes of the third quarter.

Though India pushed hard for a goal in the final quarter, Northern Territory defence stayed resilient.

The final few minutes of the match continued to remain tense for both teams but they eventually ended in a 1-1 draw.

India 'A' play Australian Capital Territory in their next game on Tuesday.