Sports

IIE DIGITAL DESK ; Muscat, July 25: India's sub-junior boys' team produced a dominant performance to defeat arch-rivals Pakistan 7-3 in the FIH Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship in Muscat on Friday, strengthening their campaign in the prestigious continental tournament. Meanwhile, the Indian sub-junior girls' team suffered a 6-3 defeat against China in their Elite Pool encounter despite an evenly contested first half.

The Indian boys took control of the match from the very beginning and established a commanding lead before halftime. Romit Pal opened the scoring in the eighth minute before Karan Gautam doubled India's advantage in the tenth minute. Captain Ketan Kushwaha then added another goal in the same minute, giving India a comfortable 3-0 lead at the end of the first half.

India continued their attacking dominance after the break as Prahlad Rajbhar extended the lead to 4-0 in the 12th minute, putting Pakistan under immense pressure. Pakistan attempted to stage a comeback through goals from Mohammad Usman in the 12th and 15th minutes and captain Adil in the 17th minute, narrowing the margin temporarily.

India's relentless attacking play ensured there was no way back for Pakistan. Shahrukh Ali found the net in the 16th minute, Rahul Yadav added another goal in the 18th minute, and captain Ketan Kushwaha completed his brace with a goal in the 20th minute to seal an emphatic 7-3 victory for India.

The comprehensive win highlighted the Indian boys' superiority throughout the contest, with the team maintaining control despite Pakistan's efforts to reduce the deficit during the second half.

In the girls' competition, India fought hard against China but eventually lost 6-3 in their Elite Pool fixture. The match was evenly balanced during the opening half, with both teams entering the break level at 3-3.

Sandeepa Kumari gave India an early lead in the very first minute of the match. Kiran Ekka then scored twice, finding the net in the third and sixth minutes to keep India on level terms after China's first-half goals from Guo Jiaxin in the second minute, Ge Chen in the third minute, and Lu Tongtong in the 10th minute.

China dominated the second half as Guo Jiaxin completed her hat-trick with goals in the 13th and 20th minutes. Lu Tongtong also scored her second goal of the match in the final minute, helping China secure a convincing 6-3 victory over the Indian girls.

The FIH Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship also serves as the Asian qualifying tournament for the inaugural FIH Youth Hockey5s World Cup. As a result, every match carries added significance, with teams competing not only for continental honours but also for qualification to the historic first edition of the global Youth Hockey5s tournament.