India's junior men’s hockey team played an exciting and close match against Pakistan in their third group game of the Sultan of Johor Cup 2025. The game ended in a 3-3 draw, with both teams sharing the points after a thrilling contest.
India were off to a strong start, controlling the ball and making many attacks early on. They earned a penalty corner in the third minute but missed the chance to score. After that, Pakistan made a comeback by counterattacking and got a penalty stroke. Skipper Hannan Shahid scored the first goal for Pakistan in the 5th minute to take an early lead.
After taking the lead, Pakistan looked more confident; they passed well and attacked often. They had another chance from a penalty corner in the 10th minute, but could not score again. India kept pushing hard to score but could not find the equaliser before the first quarter ended, with Pakistan leading 1-0.
After that, in the second quarter, Pakistan began with an attacking position, but India’s defence stopped them from scoring. India faced a challenge when Anmol Ekka received a yellow card in the 20th minute, forcing the team to play with one less player for the last 10 minutes of the quarter. Even with this disadvantage, India stayed strong and kept attacking, but Pakistan held on to their 1-0 lead going into halftime.
India came back with a strategy after the break, focusing on keeping the ball and building attacks patiently. However, Pakistan used counterattacks well and Sufyan Khan scored from a penalty corner in the 39th minute, making it 2-0. India did not give up and earned a penalty stroke near the end of the third quarter, which Araijeet Singh Hundal scored to make it 2-1.
In the last quarter, Pakistan earned a penalty corner early, but India defended well. India then scored two quick goals: Sourabh Anand Kushwaha tied the match at 2-2 in the 47th minute, and Manmeet Singh put India ahead 3-2 in the 53rd minute. However, Pakistan’s Sufyan Khan scored again from another penalty corner in the 55th minute, levelling the game at 3-3. India will now face Australia in their next clash, which will take place on October 15 at 6.05 PM IST.