NEW DELHI: Araijeet Singh Hundal showcased a stellar performance by scoring a hat-trick as India secured a convincing 4-2 victory against Korea in their opening pool match of the FIH Junior Men's Hockey World Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Tuesday.
Hundal found the net in the 11th, 16th, and 41st minutes, while Amandeep added to India's tally with a goal in the 30th minute of the Pool C encounter.
Despite efforts from Korea's Dohyun Lim (38th) and Minkwon Kim (45th) to score, India maintained control throughout the match.
India's strong start included Hundal's goal in the first quarter from a penalty corner, followed by two more goals in the second quarter, establishing a 3-0 lead at halftime.
Although Korea managed to pull one back with Dohyun's goal in the third quarter, India responded swiftly, with Hundal completing his hat-trick through another field goal.
Despite slowing down a bit with a 4-1 lead, India maintained their advantage. Korea pressed for goals and narrowed the margin with Minkwon finding the target.
In their next pool match, India are set to face Spain, with Canada being the third team in Pool C.
India, having won the tournament twice in 2001 and 2016, and finishing as runners-up in 1997, aim to make a strong impact in this edition of the Junior World Cup.
(With PTI inputs)
