Salalah [Oman], May 28 : India played out a 1-1 draw against Pakistan in the Men's Junior Asia Cup 2023 hockey tournament in Salalah, Oman on Saturday.
India and Pakistan are the only teams who are unbeaten in the tournament, and they have seven points each in Pool A after playing three games.
Sharda Nand Tiwari scored a goal for India, while Basharat Ali was the goal-scorer for Pakistan as per olympics.com.
Currently, Pakistan are at the top of the table while India are placed in second position with respect to goal difference. Japan are in third position with six points from three outings after beating Chinese Taipei 10-1 on Saturday.
The Indian men's junior hockey team, competing in the Salalah Sports Complex, immediately went on the attack while Pakistan tried to defend heavily. India had the majority of the possession, but failed to convert it into goals, resulting in a scoreless first quarter.
India in the second quarter took the lead by converting a penalty corner. Sharad Nand Tiwari drag flicked hit the net and India got a lead of 1-0 on the half-time break.
In the third quarter, Pakistan put their heart and soul into the game and gave tough competition to India's defence. Though, India got a couple of opportunities as penalty corners but they failed to convert them into a goal. Pakistan's Basharat Ali equalised the score 1-1 after making a goal from a close distance.
India stepped up its offensive in the last period in an effort to score the game-winning goal. However, the Pakistani displayed a good defence as the game ended on equal scores.
India will face Thailand in their final group clash on Sunday.
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