Skillful Araijeet’s four strikes floors Pakistan in final

Reigning champions India defeated arch rivals Pakistan 5-3 (HT 3-2) in a high scoring Hockey Final of the Men's Junior Asia Cup on Wednesday night in Muscat, Oman. The chief protagonist of the PR Sreejesh coached side was their drag flicker Araijeet Singh Hundal (4’, 18’, 47’, 54’) who scored four goals including the match winner for India. Dilraj Singh (19’) too etched his name on the scoresheet to complete the title winning tally, for a record five times in ten editions.

On the other hand Pakistan's Captain Shahid Hannan (3’) and Sufyan Khan (30’, 39’) brace did their utmost to keep the three times former champions in hunt for major portion of the of the hotly contested summit clash. The previous triumphs at the continental stage for India included those in 2023, 2015, 2008 and 2004

Hockey India, on this occasion, announced a cash reward of 2 lakhs to each player and 1 lakh to each support staff for their impeccable title defence and dominating performances in the Men's Junior Asia Cup with 46 goals overall in six matches visa vi 31 by their rivals Pakistan.

Earlier Japan who had lost to India 1-3 in the semi-final, came up with a strong performance to overpower Malaysia 2-1 in the 3rd -4th place classification match and Bangladesh thrashed China 6-3 for the fifth place, while Thailand edged past Korea 3-2 in penalty shootout after the two were tied 2-2 at the end of the regulation time in the  7th -8th place classification match.

The final saw Pakistan surge ahead in the third minute of the game through their Captain Shahid Hannan who pounced on a stray ball in the shooting circle and beat custodian Bikramjeet Singh in a one on one situation. Stunned by the unexpected flow of events the Amir Ali lead Indian side responded immediately by earning a penalty corner and Araijeet Singh Hundal unleashed a powerful drag flick to the right top corner to restore parity. Both teams went on to trade circle entries without finding the back of the net till the end of the first quarter.

Within three minutes of the second quarter, India were awarded another penalty corner and 20-year old forward Araijeet stepped up again, finding the gap between Pakistan’s goalkeeper Muhammad Janjua and the post man with a thunderous drag flick to give India the lead. Following this, the Indian forwards relentlessly pressured Pakistan's defense. Soon, Dilraj weaved past two defenders on the left wing and struck the board, extending India's lead to 3-1. Although Pakistan mounted occasional attacks on the Indian goal and earned a penalty corner as the first half came to a close, Sufyan Khan, the leading goal scorer in the tourney showcased his drag flicking skills, beating the Indian custodian Bikramjit in goal to make it 3-2.

Araijeet created two chances in quick succession as the third quarter began but Pakistan’s goalkeeper Muhammad Janjua pulled out amazing saves on both occasions to keep Pakistan in the match. Both teams went back and forth until Sufyan Khan, with six minutes left in the quarter, flicked the ball into the Indian goal from a penalty corner for his 12th goal in the tourney and ensured Pakistan headed into the last quarter, level on score at 3-3.

Buoyed by the pep talk by their experienced Head Coach,  India seized the initiative in the final quarter as Manmeet Singh skillfully maneuvered past his marker and found an unmarked Araijeet in front of the goal, who deflected the ball into goal to restore India's lead and complete his second hat-trick of the tourney. With ten minutes to go, Zikriya Hayat embarked on a counter-attack, but Indian substitute goalie Prince Deep Singh rushed out to avert any further danger. And with six minutes left in the game, India earned a penalty corner and employed a variation to free up Araijeet, who smashed the ball into the top right corner with his flick for his tenth goal, making it 5-3 for India. As the game headed to a close, Hannan Shahid carved out a significant goal-scoring opportunity, but Prince Deep stood firm in goal, swatting away the attempt and sealing India’s victory that showcased their dominance, skill, and resilience, proving yet again why they reign supreme in Asia.

Photo Cover: Forward Araijeet Singh Hundal who was the driving force behind India’s triumphant victory in the Men’s Junior Asia Cup 2024 Final scored ten goal in the tourney including two hat-tricks

Photo Above: Team India lifts the Men’s Junior Asia Cup 2024 trophy with an epic 5-3 triumph over Pakistan (Photos courtesy Hockey India)