Now Reading: Odisha beat Madhya Pradesh 2-1 to win junior hockey title
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Odisha beat Madhya Pradesh 2-1 to win junior hockey title
Odisha won the 16th Hockey India Junior Men National Championship Division A title, beating Madhya Pradesh 2-1 in Coimbatore. Mandeep Kerketta scored in the second minute for Odisha. Madhya Pradesh fought back…
The Story in Brief
Odisha won the 16th Hockey India Junior Men National Championship Division A title, beating Madhya Pradesh 2-1 in Coimbatore. Mandeep Kerketta scored in the second minute for Odisha. Madhya Pradesh fought back and equalised through Sohil Ali in the 37th minute. Odisha captain Deepak Pradhan restored the lead in the 45th minute, and the team defended resolutely to hold on.
In the bronze medal match, Punjab defeated Jharkhand 6-3. Jarman Singh and Charanjeet Singh scored twice each, while Jharkhand's Patras Hassa scored a hat-trick.
The Indian Opinion
Some narratives oversimplify junior hockey success as a product of superior infrastructure alone. This final showed grit and tactical discipline from both Odisha and Madhya Pradesh, reflecting improving standards across states. National attention often focuses on winners, but the depth shown by Punjab and Jharkhand in the bronze match indicates healthy competition. The real test will be how many of these players break into the senior national team in the next two years.
Source: newindianexpress.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
