~ Araijeet Singh Hundal (43′), Sourabh Anand Kushwaha (47′), Manmeet Singh (53′) scored a goal each for India ~
Johor (Malaysia), October 14, 2025: The Indian junior men’s hockey team played a thrilling 3-3 draw against Pakistan here in their third group match of the ongoing Sultan of Johor Cup 2025. In a pulsating, both-way encounter, India fought back from a two-goal deficit to take the lead but Pakistan struck late to ensure the points were shared. The result also means that India remains undefeated in the tournament.
For India, Araijeet Singh Hundal (43′), Sourabh Anand Kushwaha (47′), Manmeet Singh (53′) scored, while for Pakistan Hannan Shahid (5′) and Sufyan Khan (39′, 55′) were on the scoresheet.
The Indian Stallions made a good start, dominating possession and making several early circle penetrations that kept Pakistan in the background. Their early pressure earned them a penalty corner in the third minute, but the chance begged.
Against the flow of play, Pakistan hit back with a quick counter-attack and earned a penalty shortly afterwards. Captain Hannan Shahid (5′) made no mistake, sliding 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 menacing attacks into the Indian circle. They came close again in the 10th minute through a penalty corner, but were unable to extend their lead.
India, meanwhile, continued to push hard for an equalizer, testing Pakistan’s defense with speed and precision and even coming close to scoring on several occasions, but were unable to do so as the opening quarter ended 1-0 in Pakistan’s favour.
Pakistan started the second quarter ahead and launched an early attack that earned them another penalty corner. However, the Indian defense held firm and denied them any chance to extend their lead. Moments later, India suffered a setback when Anmol Ekka was booked 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 stallions showed admirable discipline and composure. They not only stopped Pakistan from taking advantage of the situation but also continued to test their opponents’ defense with quick transitions and clever passing. Yet an equalizer remained elusive as Pakistan maintained their slim 1-0 lead going into half-time.
Determined to fight their way back into the match, India started the third quarter with renewed intent, focusing on retaining possession and building patient attacks. However, Pakistan stayed true to their counter-attack and made it count when Sufyan Khan (39′) converted a penalty corner to double their lead, further piling the pressure on the Indian Stallions.
India refused to back down, kept going and were rewarded late in the quarter. With less than three minutes to go they earned a penalty, which was confidently converted by Araijeet Singh Hundal (43′) to reduce the deficit and keep his side in the hunt. The penultimate quarter ended with Pakistan leading 2-1.
The final quarter started with Pakistan earning an early penalty corner, but the Indian defense held firm to deny it. Moments later, India turned the tide when Sourabh Anand Kushwaha (47′) hit a superbly placed shot to level the scores. Confident after finding the equalizer, the Indian Stallions switched to an aggressive, attacking approach that put Pakistan on the back foot.
Their persistence paid off in the 53rd minute when Manmeet Singh found the back of the net to give 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 the 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 tense encounter ended in a 3-3 draw.
India will next play Australia on October 15 at 605 PM IST.
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