Chennai: India began their campaign at the FIH Men's Junior Hockey World Cup 2025 in dominant fashion, thrashing Chile 7-0 at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium on Friday. The victory places India at the top of the Pool B points table.
After a cautious start, India's attack came alive in the second quarter, with Rosan Kujur scoring the opening goal in the 16th minute. Kujur capitalized on a well-worked move after Manmeet Singh's aerial ball found him in space. Minutes later, Kujur showcased individual brilliance, beating two defenders and the Chilean goalkeeper, Nicolas Troncoso, to double India's lead. Dilraj Singh further extended India's advantage, converting a rebound from a penalty corner in the 25th minute to make it 3-0 before halftime.
India continued their dominance after the break. In the 34th minute, Dilraj Singh scored his second goal, assisted by Ankit Pal. Ajeet Yadav then added a fifth goal with a powerful reverse hit, assisted by Gurjot Singh. Anmol Ekka converted a penalty corner in the 48th minute, and captain Rohit scored from a penalty stroke in the 59th minute, completing the 7-0 rout.
The first quarter saw Chile displaying resilience, denying India clear scoring opportunities. However, India's relentless pressure and Chile's inability to capitalize on their only penalty corner in the 40th minute contributed to the lopsided scoreline. Indian goalkeepers Bikramjit Singh and Prince Deep Singh maintained a clean sheet.
India, coached by PR Sreejesh, aim to improve their penalty corner conversion rate throughout the tournament. Defender Rohit leads the 18-member Indian squad. India is in Pool B alongside Chile, Oman, and Switzerland. The team will face Oman on Saturday and Switzerland on Tuesday.
The Junior Hockey World Cup 2025 features 24 teams competing in Chennai and Madurai. This is the 14th edition of the tournament. Live streaming is available on JioHotstar.
