Coach Sreejesh delivers Jr Asia Cup for India, beating arch-rivals Pakistan in thriller

Araijeet Singh Hundal scored four goals as India defeated arch-rivals Pakistan 5-3 in a thriller to clinch the Junior Men's Asia Cup in Muscat on Wednesday.

Coached by hockey great P R Sreejesh, Junior India clinched its fifth Asia Cup title. India defeated Pakistan 2-1 in last year's final. In October, two-time Olympic bronze medallist Sreejesh, freshly retired but never resting, had delivered a bronze medal for Junior India in the Sultan of Johor Cup.

Sreejesh's India scored 46 goals in six games at the Junior Asia Cup, and conceded just four until the final. Pakistan had stunned the holders in the third minute when Hanan Shahid put them in front. But India bounced back through Hundal, who converted his first penalty corner just a minute later.

India struck in quick succession early in the second quarter, first from a penalty corner converted by Hundal and then a field goal from Dilraj Singh. But Sufyan Khan scored a penalty corner with just five seconds remaining until halftime to make it 2-3 for Pakistan.

Despite Pakistan equalising nine minutes into the third quarter, yet again, through their brilliant forward Sufyan, India believed and came back stronger.

It was yet again the lanky forward Hundal who came up with the goods, first giving India the lead with a smart deflection in the 47th minute and then sealing the deal with a 54th-minute goal from a penalty corner.