A day of ups and downs happened for the young Indian teams on their first international tour. The boys had a great day, winning 4-2 against the Netherlands Under-16 team, while the girls faced a tough challenge and lost 2-6 against the Netherlands Under-16 girls.
In the boys’ game, Vice-Captain Ashu Maurya scored the first goal in the first quarter, giving India an early lead. However, the Netherlands managed to equalize the score before halftime and even took the lead for a while. But India fought back, with Deepak Pradhan scoring to tie the game. In the final minutes, Ashu Maurya struck again with his second goal, and Rahul Rajbhar added one more to secure a fantastic victory for India.
Coach Sardar of the Indian Sub Junior Men’s Team was very proud of the team’s performance. He said, “This is a great victory for the squad. To come back from behind and win in the final few minutes of the game shows great character. We should be very proud of this victory.”
The girls’ game was a different story. India was trailing 0-1 against the Netherlands at halftime. Kajal R scored a goal in the third quarter to equalize, but the Netherlands answered with four consecutive goals. Captain Bhavya managed to score India’s second goal in the final quarter, but the Netherlands added another goal, resulting in a 2-6 loss for India.
Former India Captain and Indian Sub Junior Women’s Team Coach Rani shared her perspective on the game. She said, “This might be another defeat for us, but we are looking at the bigger picture, which is the process of growth and development. Playing in foreign conditions is a tough challenge, especially for our Sub Junior Girls. Instead of focusing on the loss, we are using this opportunity to go back to the drawing board and identify areas where we can improve.”
The Indian Sub Junior Men’s Team is scheduled to play against the Netherlands Boys Under-16 Team on Monday, October 16th. The Indian Sub Junior Women’s Team will also be in action, taking on the Netherlands Girls Under-16 team.
