Ruthless Indian colts rout Pakistan

India pumped in four goals in the second session in a sizzling display of attacking hockey to post a comprehensive 4-0 victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in the Sultan of Johor Cup under-21 tournament here on Wednesday.

The Indians, who completely outplayed their opponents, struck three goals in a space of 11 minutes after resumption through Sukhmonjit Singh (38th and 46th) and Imran Khan (45th) before Ramandeep Singh fired in his fourth goal of the tournament in the 61st minute.

It was a spectacular performance by the Indians in the second half that saw them win by a huge margin over the Pakistanis who were on equal terms with their neighbours till the half time.

The Indians were a completely different outfit in the second session, which turned out to be a completely one-sided affair as they dictated the pace of the game by using both the flanks well and distributing the ball nicely to mount raids into the rival’s striking circle almost at will.

With Wednesday’s win, their third on the trot, India are on top of the league table along with hosts Malaysia with nine points from three victories from as many matches. The Indians are in a strong position to make it to the final.

With two matches left to be played by all six teams in the fray, Pakistan are on third spot with six points, Argentina and Korea on one point each, while England are yet to open their account.

The top two teams after the round robin matches will play in the final, while the third and fourth-place outfits will fight for the bronze medal.

The first goal came in the third minute into the second half from India’s fourth penalty corner. Amit Rohidas did not take the strike and instead relayed to Sukhmonjit who slammed the ball home with a pile driver.

Imran Khan then made it 2-0 for India in the 45th minute as he connected a fine pass from the right by Harjeet Singh. Ramandeep then earned a penalty stroke in the next minute and Sukhmonjit scored his second goal of the match and shut the game on Pakistan. India play Korea in their fourth round-robin league match on Thursday.