Jharkhand and Odisha shine in quarterfinals of Junior Men’s National Hockey Championship

Hockey Jharkhand and Hockey Association of Odisha have advanced to the quarterfinals of the 14th Hockey India Junior Men National Championship after decisive victories in their respective matches on Sunday.

Hockey Jharkhand delivered a commanding performance, defeating Hockey Gujarat 27-0. Adisan Minj emerged as the standout player, netting six goals in the match. Not far behind, Ghuran Lohra added five goals, while Roshan Ekka and Deepak Soreng each scored four goals. Baraik Kamal Chik contributed a hat-trick, and Sukhnath Guria added a brace. Abhishek Tigga, Sumit Barwa, and Mangra Dohdray also found the back of the net.

In another high-stakes encounter, Odisha overcame Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey with a 5-2 victory. Karan Lakra was the hero, scoring twice for Odisha. Captain Jasman Munda, Abhishek Topno, and Deepak Pradhan each added a goal. Pradip Mandal and Wislon Xaxa scored for the opposing team.

Earlier in the day, Hockey Jammu & Kashmir triumphed over Hockey Rajasthan 6-2. Captain Arun Preet Singh and Zahid Shabir each scored twice, supported by goals from Jatveer Singh and Jagmeet Singh. For Rajasthan, Anurag Suthar and Kunal Koundal were the scorers.

Assam Hockey and Hockey Arunachal played out a 2-2 draw, with Parkil Alam and Hemant Borthakur scoring for Assam, while Abhishek Yadav and Piyush Singh scored for Arunachal.

In the final match of the day, Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu defeated Hockey Bengal 6-0. Bijay Kujur led the charge with a hat-trick, and contributions from captain Rohit Kujur, Vivek Kumar Singh, and Md Sakib Ali ensured a comprehensive win.