India squandered a lead and chances galore and was held to a 1-1 draw by Pakistan in their third Pool A game of the Junior Asia Cup Hockey in Salalah, Oman.
Sharda Nand Tiwari gave India the lead in the 24th minute while Basharat Ali scored the equalizer for Pakistan in the 44th minute.
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India was on the attack from the get-go and displayed a pressing game to put Pakistan under pressure. The men in blue won a couple of penalty corners early in the game but couldn’t capitalise on them.
The green shirts , on the other hand, also managed to create a few chances and even came close to scoring through a penalty corner but goalkeeper Amandeep Lakra stood strong to keep Pakistan attackers at bay as the opening quarter of the game ended goalless.
However, India broke the deadlock early in the second quarter as Sharda Nand Tiwari (24’) converted a penalty corner to give his team a much-needed lead in the intense game.
With the scoreline in their favour, the Indian colts started playing more confidently and even troubled Pakistan’s defense line on numerous occasions, but couldn’t find the back of the net for the second time in the second quarter as they went into the half-time break with the 1-0 lead.
Desperate to find an equaliser, Pakistan entered the third quarter of the match with an attacking mindset and it paid off as Basharat Ali (44’) scored a goal to level the score as the third quarter ended with the score tied at 1-1.
Keen to regain the advantage, India came out all guns blazing in the fourth quarter of the match and started playing aggressively, while Pakistan continued to attack on the counter.
However, despite both teams coming close to scoring quite a few times, neither of them was able to find the back of the net in the last quarter as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Notably, both India and Pakistan are unbeaten in the tournament so far and have accumulated seven points each from their respective three games so far in Pool A. However, Pakistan are leading the tally and are positioned over second-placed India on the basis of goal difference.
