Johor (Malaysia), Oct 14 (IANS) The Indian junior men’s hockey team played out a thrilling 3–3 draw against Pakistan in their third group-stage match of the ongoing Sultan of Johor Cup 2025 here

In a pulsating encounter that swung both ways, India fought back from a two-goal deficit to take the lead, only for Pakistan to strike late and ensure the points were shared. The result also means that India are still undefeated in the tournament.

For India, Araijeet Singh Hundal (43’), Sourabh Anand Kushwaha (47’) and Manmeet Singh (53’) netted goals, while for Pakistan, Hannan Shahid (5’) and Sufyan Khan (39’, 55’) were on the scoresheet.

The Indian colts made a bright start, dominating possession and making several early circle penetrations that kept Pakistan on the back foot. Their early pressure earned them a penalty corner in just the third minute, but the opportunity went begging.

Against the run of play, Pakistan hit back through a quick counterattack and earned a penalty stroke soon after. Captain Hannan Shahid (5’) made no mistake, slotting the ball low to the goalkeeper’s right to give his team an early lead. Buoyed by the breakthrough, Pakistan began to find their rhythm, stringing together quick passes and launching a few threatening raids into the Indian circle. They came close again through a penalty corner in the 10th minute but failed to extend their advantage.

India, meanwhile, continued to press hard for the equaliser, testing Pakistan’s defence with pace and precision and even came close to scoring on multiple occasions but couldn’t as the opening quarter ended 1–0 in Pakistan’s favour.

Pakistan began the second quarter on the front foot, launching an early attack that earned them another penalty corner. However, the Indian defence stood tall, denying them any chance to extend their lead. Moments later, India faced a setback when Anmol Ekka was shown a yellow card for a sliding tackle in the 20th minute, forcing the team to play a man short for the remaining 10 minutes of the second quarter.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, the Indian colts displayed admirable discipline and composure. They not only kept Pakistan from capitalising on the situation but also continued to test their opponents’ defence with quick transitions and clever passing. Yet, the equaliser remained elusive, as Pakistan maintained their slender 1–0 lead going into half-time.

Determined to fight their way back into the contest, India began the third quarter with renewed intent, focusing on maintaining possession and building patient attacks.

Pakistan, however, stayed true to their counterattacking approach and made it count when Sufyan Khan (39’) converted a penalty corner to double their lead, piling further pressure on the Indian colts.

Refusing to back down, India continued to push forward and were rewarded late in the quarter. With less than three minutes remaining, they earned a penalty stroke, which was confidently converted by Araijeet Singh Hundal (43’) to narrow the deficit and keep his side in the hunt. The penultimate quarter closed with Pakistan holding a 2–1 advantage.

The final quarter began with Pakistan earning an early penalty corner, but the Indian defence held firm to deny them. Moments later, India turned the tide as Sourabh Anand Kushwaha (47’) struck a superbly placed shot to bring the scores level. Confident after finding the equaliser, the Indian colts switched to an aggressive, attacking approach that pushed Pakistan onto the back foot.

Their persistence paid off in the 53rd minute when Manmeet Singh found the back of the net, giving India the lead for the first time in the match. However, the advantage proved short-lived as Pakistan’s Sufyan Khan (55’) converted a penalty corner for second time in the match to restore parity. Both sides pressed hard in the final minutes in search of a winner, but neither could break the deadlock, and the thrilling encounter ended in a 3–3 draw.

India will next play Australia on October 15 at 06:05 PM IST.

–IANS

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