Salalah [Oman], May 29 (ANI): The men’s Junior Asia Cup 2023 in Salalah lit up a dominating performance from the Indian junior men’s hockey team on Sunday evening as they thrashed Thailand with a scoreline of 17-0 in their Pool A match. The result meant that the Indian junior men’s hockey team finished the group stage of the Men’s Junior Asia Cup 2023 unbeaten and also entered the semi-finals of the tournament.
Scorers for India were Angad Bir Singh (13′, 33′, 47′, 55′), Yogembar Rawat (17′), Captain Uttam Singh (24′, 31′), Amandeep Lakra (26′, 29′), Arjit Singh Hundal (36′), Vishnukant Singh (38′), Bobby Singh Dhami (45′), Sharda Nand Tiwari (46′), Amandeep (47′), Rohit (49′), Sunit Lakra (54′) and Rajinder Singh (56′).
The Indian junior men’s hockey team started the contest on the front foot, attacking Thailand regularly but were unable to capitalize in the early exchanges. Thailand not only withstood the pressure but also tried to attack India, who however went ahead just before the end of the first quarter when Angad Bir Singh (13′) found the back of the net.
Early in the second quarter, India captain Uttam Singh eased through Thailand’s defense before Yogembar Rawat (17′) doubled the advantage. The Indian junior men’s hockey team was starting to take control of the contest, and before the end of the half, skipper Uttam Singh (24′) also got on the scoresheet, scoring from close range. A few minutes later, Amandeep Lakra (26′) slotted home his shot from the penalty corner as the Indian colts were leading 4-0, and were showing no signs of slowing down. Soon after, Amandeep Lakra (29′) scored his second goal from a penalty corner and at halftime, the Indian junior men’s hockey team led 5–0.
Captain Uttam Singh (31′) made it 6-0 in the first minute of the third quarter, curling it into the top right corner and shortly afterwards Angad Bir Singh (33′) also got his second of the night . The Indian junior men’s hockey team dominated and soon added another when Arjit Singh Hundal (36′) got on the scoresheet courtesy a powerful hit from the right. India continued to attack, pushing Thailand into their half, and the pressure resulted in another goal as Vishnukant Singh (38′) got his name on the scoresheet, making it 9–0. Bobby Singh Dhami (45′) converted a penalty corner to make it 10-0 just before the final break.
The final quarter looked very similar to the previous quarter, with the Indian junior men’s hockey team attacking with great gusto as Sharda Nand Tiwari (46′), Amandeep (47′) and Angad Bir Singh (47′) all Scored quick goals. Succession to make it 13-0. The chances of a comeback looked remote but Rohit (49′) also got into the act, taking the score to 14-0 for India. There was more to come as India were playing free-flowing hockey, and it was Sunit Lakra (54′), Angad Bir Singh (55′), and Rajinder Singh (56′) who added three more goals to make it 17 down – 0. India eventually added nothing to that scoreline and ended the night on top of the standings in Pool A with an emphatic win. (ANI)
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