The junior Indian hockey team played out a thrilling 3-3 draw against Pakistan in their third group-stage match of the Sultan of Johor Cup 2025 at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, 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 are still undefeated in the tournament.
For India, Araijeet Singh Hundal (43’), Sourabh Anand Kushwaha (47’) and Manmeet Singh (53’) netted the goals, while Hannan Shahid (5’) and Sufyan Khan (39’, 55’) were on the scoresheet for Pakistan.
The Indian colts made a bright start and early pressure earned them a penalty corner in the third minute, but the opportunity was wasted.
Against the run of play, Pakistan struck with a swift counterattack. Captain Hannan Shahid calmly slotted a penalty stroke low to give his side an early lead.
Buoyed by the breakthrough, Pakistan strung together quick passes and launched threatening attacks, including a penalty corner in the 10th minute.
India, meanwhile, continued to press hard but couldn’t score as the opening quarter ended 1-0 in Pakistan’s favour.
Pakistan earned an early penalty corner in the second quarter. 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 discipline and composure.
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 converted a penalty corner to double their lead..
With less than three minutes remaining, India earned a penalty stroke, which was converted by Araijeet Singh Hundal. The penultimate quarter closed with Pakistan holding a 2-1 advantage.
The final quarter began with Pakistan earning an early penalty corner, but the Indian hockey defence held firm to deny them.
Moments later, India turned the tide as Sourabh Anand Kushwaha struck a superbly placed shot to bring the scores level.
Confident after finding the equaliser, the Indian colts switched to an aggressive, attacking approach that pushed Pakistan onto the back foot.
Their persistence paid off in the 53rd minute when Manmeet Singh found the back of the net, giving India the lead for the first time in the match.
However, the advantage was short-lived as Pakistan’s Sufyan Khan 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 thrilling encounter ended in a 3-3 draw.
India will next play Australia in their next Sultan of Johor Cup 2025 match on Wednesday.