Moki, September 5 (Daily Kiran) : The Indian junior men’s hockey team kicked off their title defense at the AHF Junior Asia Cup 2026 with an impressive 14-0 victory over Indonesia on Saturday. The match, held in Moki, saw standout performances from captain Anmol Ekka, Prabhdeep Singh, and Ajit Yadav, who collectively netted 12 goals.
Prabhdeep emerged as the top scorer, earning the ‘Player of the Match’ award with five goals. Anmol contributed four goals, while Yadav added three. Harpal and Ashu Maurya each scored once to complete the rout.
From the outset, India displayed an aggressive style of play. They consistently penetrated the Indonesian circle, creating numerous scoring opportunities. Prabhdeep opened the scoring in the fifth minute, followed by Harpal doubling the lead in the eighth minute. Indonesia struggled to cope with the pace and movement of the Indian attack, ending the first quarter with India leading 2-0.
The Indian forward line continued to create chances in the second quarter. Anmol scored in the 16th minute after Indonesia was awarded a penalty stroke. Four minutes later, Yadav made it 4-0. Prabhdeep then completed his hat trick with goals in the 26th and 30th minutes, leading India to a commanding 6-0 advantage at halftime.
The second half saw no respite for Indonesia as India maintained their dominance. Anmol was particularly effective from set pieces, converting two penalty corners in the 35th and 42nd minutes. Just before the end of the third quarter, Prabhdeep scored again, pushing the score to 9-0.
The final quarter proved to be the most fruitful for India, who added five more goals. Anmol completed his hat trick in the 51st minute, shortly before Prabhdeep scored his fifth goal a minute later. Yadav then added two more goals in the 53rd minute, bringing the score to 13-0, with Maurya sealing the match with a penalty corner goal in the 59th minute.
India’s scoring distribution highlighted their offensive strength, featuring nine field goals, four penalty corner conversions, and one penalty stroke. Anmol converted three penalty corners and a penalty stroke, while Maurya scored from the fourth set piece.
This defeat marked Indonesia’s second consecutive loss, having previously fallen 0-9 to South Korea. They currently sit fifth in Pool A, following Chinese Taipei in fourth place.
With this victory, India secured three points from their opening match, tying with Japan and South Korea but leading Pool A on goal difference.
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