Junior Hockey World Cup 2025: India overcomes Chennai’s rain challenge to decimate Oman 17-0

India dismantled Oman 17-0 in its second pool match of the 2025 FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup campaign at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai on Saturday. India now has one foot in the knockout phase ahead of the final group game against Switzerland in Madurai.

The scoreboard lit up brightly for the Indian Colts, with Dilraj Singh netting four goals and therefore temporarily topping the tournament’s scoring charts. Manmeet Singh, and Arshdeep Singh both registered hat-tricks, while Ajeet Yadav added a brace, propelling India’s goal difference to an imposing 24. 

Responding to coach P.R. Sreejesh’s demand for a “killer attitude” in front of goal, the Indian squad were lethal with its finishing. However, a recurring issue simultaneouly lay exposed: a lack of composure under pressure particularly in set pieces. From 12 penalty corners, India only converted once.

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Constant rain made this worse, making the pitch soggy and slowing the ball’s speed.

While dominant in the first half, India’s scoring initially depended on moments of individual brilliance.

The first goal arrived in the third minute. Arshdeep’s swift counter-attack drifted to the left flank and hugged the baseline. He then received the ball from Rooshan Kujur and dashed toward the net to score from an acute angle. 

The entire first quarter saw India awarded five penalty corners, all of which went unconverted, with most drag-flicks either being sent straight at the Omani goalkeeper or missing the target. 

The Omani custodian, Ahmed Al Nabi, put in a stellar shift, constantly organising his defence while thwarting wave after wave of Indian attacks.

Manmeet, one of the country’s most highly-rated young forwards, soon stepped up. The Punjab native displayed exemplary accuracy, finding the net from the right of the attacking D. He then showcased nifty stickwork, weaving past three defenders from the baseline to score another. 

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Anmol Ekka eventually broke the penalty corner drought on India’s 11th attempt, unleashing a screaming drag-flick drilled low into the bottom left corner. Dilraj made it five for India just before the half-time whistle. 

The Indian players adapted better in the second half, adjusting their set-piece approach to the waterlogged conditions. Variations and slap shots took centre stage, improving their conversion rate to four out of the seven short corners awarded in the half. 

For Oman, which entered the tournament as a replacement after Pakistan withdrew, it was a humbling but valuable experience. Its squad included two players born after 2010, the sub-junior cut-off in India. 

The oldest independent state in the Arab world only managed two circle entries across the entire 60 minutes. Credit must be given, however, as it managed to convert both of those entries into penalty corners.

Barring these two threats, Indian defenders enjoyed a relatively easy night, often contributing more significantly to the attacking aspect of the game.

Published on Nov 29, 2025