India thump Pakistan in Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship

MUSCAT: Karan Gautam's hat-trick propelled India to a dominant 7-4 victory over traditional rivals Pakistan in the blockbuster inaugural Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship match here on Tuesday.

The high-octane fixture got off to an enthralling start as Rahul Yadav netted the opener for India in just the third minute, while Gautam doubled their lead in the next minute.

Muhammad Aslam Farhan then opened the scoring for Pakistan the following minute to reduce India's lead, which was eventually neutralised by Adeel in the eighth minute.

But Gautam struck his second in the ninth minute to restore India's advantage, only for Muhammad Usman to neutralise in the next minute. India, however, managed to finish the first half with a slender lead, courtesy of Prahalad Rajbhar's strike in the dying seconds.

The Men in Blue made a spirited start to the second half as Romit Pal and Ketan Kushwaha scored in the first minute after the break to bolster their advantage to three goals.

Pakistan managed to pull one back in the 16th minute through Usman, who netted his second of the match, but Gautam struck again to complete his hat-trick and deny the Green Shirts a chance for a late comeback.

The 7-4 victory marked India's third consecutive win and consolidated their top spot in the Men's Elite standings with nine points and a massive goal difference of 21.

On the contrary, the outcome of the fixture meant Pakistan succumbed to their first defeat at the inaugural Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship, having started their campaign with back-to-back resounding victories over hosts Oman and Bangladesh, respectively.

The Green Shirts, however, remained second in the Men's Elite standings with six points in three matches, with a positive goal difference of five. They next face hosts Oman at the same venue on Thursday before locking horns with Bangladesh the same day.