Sultan of Johor Cup: India play thrilling 3-3 draw against Pakistan

Johor: 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 on Tuesday.

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 is still undefeated in the tournament.

For India, Araijeet Singh Hundal (43'), Sourabh Anand Kushwaha (47'), 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, according to a Hockey India release.

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 could not 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. (ANI)

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