Men’s Junior Asia Cup hockey 2023: India and Pakistan play out 1-1 draw

India played out a 1-1 draw against Pakistan in the Men's Junior Asia Cup 2023 hockey tournament in Salalah, Oman on Saturday.

Sharda Nand Tiwari (24’) scored a goal for India, while Basharat Ali (44’) was the goal-scorer for Pakistan.

Both India and Pakistan are unbeaten in the tournament so far and have accumulated seven points each from their respective three games so far in Pool A.

However, Pakistan are leading the tally and are positioned over second-placed India on the basis of goal difference. 

Japan, who beat Chinese Taipei 10-1 earlier on Saturday, are third with six points from three outings.

Playing at the Salalah Sports Complex, the Indian men’s junior hockey team went on the offensive right from the start while Pakistan looked to defend in numbers. India enjoyed the bulk of the possession but failed to make it count as the first quarter ended goalless.

India continued with the same momentum and took the lead via a penalty corner. Sharad Nand Tiwari drag flicked the ball in the net to give the team a 1-0 lead going into the half-time break.

The third quarter saw Pakistan play with intent and put the Indian defence under pressure. India won a couple of penalty corners but failed to convert the opportunities. Pakistan, however scored the equaliser. Ali Basharat netted from a close distance to make it 1-1 for Pakistan.

In the fourth quarter, India ramped up the attack in search of a winning goal. The Indian team made several incisive runs in the opponent half but the Pakistani defence held on to eke out a draw.

India will face Thailand in their final group clash on Sunday.

The Indian hockey team opened its campaign with an 18-0 win over Chinese Taipei. In their second match, the Indian colts came from behind against Japan to secure a hard-fought 3-1 win.