India Crush Pakistan 7-3, Dominate Oman at FIH Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship

Muscat (Oman), July 2026 : India’s sub-junior men’s hockey team enjoyed a memorable day at the FIH Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship 2026, registering two emphatic victories, including a commanding 7-3 triumph over arch-rivals Pakistan after thrashing hosts Oman 10-1 earlier on Friday. Meanwhile, the Indian women’s team fought spiritedly but suffered a 6-3 defeat against China in their Elite Pool clash.

The much-anticipated encounter against Pakistan saw the Indian men deliver an aggressive and disciplined performance to continue their unbeaten run in the tournament. India seized control from the opening whistle and raced to a 3-0 lead by half-time through goals from Romit Pal, Karan Gautam and captain Ketan Kushwaha.

Romit Pal opened the scoring in the eighth minute before Gautam doubled the advantage two minutes later. Kushwaha then added a third just before the break, putting India firmly in command.

India maintained the same attacking intensity in the second half. Prahalad Rajbhar struck soon after the restart to make it 4-0 and put Pakistan under immense pressure. Pakistan attempted to stage a comeback through a brace from Muhammad Usman and another goal by captain Adeel, but India responded every time with clinical finishing.

Shahrukh Ali found the net in the 16th minute, Rahul Yadav added another in the closing stages, while Kushwaha completed his impressive performance with his second goal of the match in the final minute to seal a convincing 7-3 victory.

Earlier in the day, India had produced a goal-scoring exhibition against hosts Oman, recording a comprehensive 10-1 victory. The Indian side completely dominated the opening half, taking a 6-0 lead with relentless attacking play.

Karan Gautam opened the scoring before Prahalad Rajbhar and Shahrukh Ali struck in quick succession. Captain Ketan Kushwaha then scored twice before the interval, while Shahrukh completed his brace to leave Oman struggling to contain the Indian attack.

The second half witnessed more of the same as Kushwaha completed a superb four-goal haul. Gautam and Rajbhar also scored their second goals of the match, while Oman managed only a late consolation through Khazraj Subait Subait Al-Mashrafi.

With victories over Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Oman and Pakistan, the Indian men’s team has emerged as one of the strongest contenders in the competition and will look to carry its winning momentum into the knockout stages.

In the women’s Elite Pool encounter, India displayed resilience against a strong Chinese side but eventually went down 6-3 in a high-scoring contest.

Sandeepa Kumari gave India the perfect start with an early goal before Kiran Ekka struck twice to keep the scores level at 3-3 at half-time. China responded through Guo Jiaxin, Ge Chen and Lu Tongtong in an entertaining opening period.

However, China dominated the second half as Guo Jiaxin completed a brilliant hat-trick with two more goals, while Lu Tongtong added another to secure victory for the Chinese side.

Despite the defeat, the Indian women showed encouraging attacking intent and remain in contention as the tournament progresses.

The FIH Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship also serves as the Asian qualifying event for the inaugural FIH Youth Hockey5s World Cup, making every match crucial in the race for qualification. India’s impressive performances, particularly by the men’s team, have strengthened the country’s hopes of securing a place at the historic global tournament.