The India U18 men’s hockey team concluded their series against Australia with a 3-3 draw at the Udhav Das Mehta (Bhai Ji) Central SAI Centre in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The team’s performance in the series included one win, two draws, and one loss. India started strongly in the final match, scoring two early goals through Karan Gautam (10′) and Ben Siddharth (14′).
Australia fought back and managed to equalize in the second quarter with Jet Johnstone (18′, 25′) scoring two crucial goals. Despite a closely contested third quarter, India regained the lead with a field goal by captain Ketan Kushwaha (40′). However, Australia leveled the score late in the game with a field goal by Andrew Faulds (57′).
In another match on the same day, the India U18 Women’s Hockey Team defeated the Australia U18 Women’s Team 4-1. Earlier, the Indian U18 men’s team had beaten Australia 6-3 to level the series at 1-1. The Indian team dominated the match with goals from Akash Deep (10’), Shahrukh Ali (14’), Ketan Kushwaha (25’, 40’), Romit Pal (26’), and Ansh Bahutra (45’).
Australia managed to score through Owen Taylor (23’), Oscar Freeman (29’), and Jack Weller (32’), but India’s defense held strong in the final quarter to secure the victory.
