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The young Blue Sticks had the pedal floored from the first minute, attacking furiously and catching Pakistan unawares. The strategy paid off almost immediately, as Ajit Yadav slotted one in to give India the early lead.
India made full use of the early burst and continued to pile on the pressure, barely missing 2 shots on goal. Pakistan attempted a fightback but came up short as they missed 2 shots on goal. India carried on without a pause as Sumit Kumar converted a penalty corner in the 23rd minute.
In no mood to back off, India made two attempts on goal in a short span. Armaan Qureshi capitalized on the porous Pakistani defense as he found the back of the net in the 27th minute. Pakistan attempted haphazardly to equalize, but the Indian custodian was on top of it. Parwinder Singh put another in the bank for India just before the end of the first half, as India looked unassailable at the halfway mark.
Parvinder made it look like he was never off the field as he charged toward the goal immediately into the second half. India looked a little more tame in the second half and it cost them as Mohammed Dilber scored in the 45th minute to salvage some pride for Pakistan. This seemed to spur India into action, as Santa Singh immediately converted a penalty corner to put India too far ahead to be visible. A penalty corner by Pakistan was quite far off target and easily deflected by the Indian custodian.
The final whistle sounded to mark a perfect start to India’s defense of the Sultan of Johor trophy. The Blues could not have asked for a more ideal beginning to their campaign. It is the hope of every Indian fan that a third trophy will make its way back to India at the end of the tournament. India will play Great Britain in their next match, which is tomorrow.
