India Men’s Junior Hockey Storms into Semifinals of Asia Cup 2021 with 17-0 Win Over Thailand

India Men’s Junior Hockey team stormed into the semifinals of the Asia Cup 2021 with a 17-0 win over Thailand in their last Pool A match. The emphatic victory not only booked India’s spot in the FIH Junior Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023, but also assured them of a place on top of Pool A standings.

India, who started the tournament as defending champions, began the game on a positive note and attacked Thailand with regularity from the onset. However, despite their efforts, they were unable to breach through Thailand’s strong defense in the early exchanges of the match. The resilient Thai team not only withstood the pressure but also tried to mount counterattacks against India.

The Indian team finally broke through just before the end of the first quarter when Angad Bir Singh (13’) found the back of the net and gave his side a 1-0 lead. With this, India continued to put pressure on their opponents for the rest of the game and eventually ran away with a resounding 17-0 victory.

The Indian team were in a class of their own as they scored at will and found the target with ease. Eight different players contributed to the scoring spree with Aman Gurwinder Singh (13’, 20’, 24’), Akshay Kumar Jha (15’, 16’), Mohd Tarif Akhtar (25’, 31’) and Sukhmanjit Singh (27’, 35’) scoring a brace each.

The Indian team will now face South Korea in the semifinals match with their sights firmly set on defending their title and making it to the finals. India have so far had a dominant run in the tournament and will like to continue their momentum into the semifinals.