Muscat, 22 July (H.S.): The impressive run of India’s sub-junior men’s and women’s teams continued at the FIH Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship 2026, with both sides remaining unbeaten in the tournament.

In the Elite Pool matches held on Tuesday, the Indian men’s team defeated hosts Oman and arch-rivals Pakistan, while the women’s team played out a draw against China before registering a dominant victory over Uzbekistan.

The Indian sub-junior men’s team produced a thrilling performance to beat Pakistan 7-4. Karan Gautam was the star performer for India, completing a hat-trick with goals in the fifth, ninth and 19th minutes.

Rahul Yadav (3'), Prahlad Rajbhar (10'), captain Ketan Kushwaha (11') and Romit Pal (11') also contributed with one goal each for India.

For Pakistan, Aslam Muhammad Farhan (6'), Adeel (8') and Usman Muhammad (10', 16') found the net.

Earlier, the Indian men’s team registered a massive 14-0 victory over hosts Oman. Captain Ketan Kushwaha scored four goals in the sixth, 11th, 15th and 20th minutes, while Ashish Tani Purti completed a hat-trick with goals in the first, 16th and 19th minutes.

Rahul Yadav (2', 12') and Shah Rukh Ali (3', 13') scored two goals each, while Prahlad Rajbhar (9'), Karan Gautam (15') and Romit Pal (18') also added their names to the scoresheet to complete India’s emphatic win.

Meanwhile, the Indian sub-junior women’s team played out a 2-2 draw against China in their second Elite Pool match. Chen Ge gave China the lead in the fourth minute before Naushin Naz scored twice in the 16th and 17th minutes to put India ahead. However, Jiaxin Guo scored the equaliser in the 19th minute to ensure the match ended in a draw.

In their second match of the day, the Indian women’s team produced a dominant display, defeating Uzbekistan 16-0. Naushin Naz scored four goals (6', 9', 15', 16'), while Sandipa Kumari (2', 6', 20') and captain Sweety Kujur (10', 13', 20') completed hat-tricks.

Diya (3', 17') and Pushpa Manjhi (11', 13') scored two goals each, while Kiran Ekka (8') and Neelam Toppo (18') also contributed with goals.

The tournament also serves as the Asian qualifying event for the inaugural FIH Under-18 Youth Hockey5s World Cup. Both Indian men’s and women’s teams remain unbeaten so far and have emerged as strong contenders to secure qualification for the global event.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar