Overview

• Arshdeep Singh opened the scoring in the 2nd minute, PB Sunil added a penalty-corner variation in the 15th, Araijeet Singh Hundal struck in the 26th and a 47th-minute penalty-corner conversion made it 4–1 before New Zealand replied through Gus Nelson and Aidan Max.
• India had edged Great Britain 3–2 in their opener, with captain Rohit scoring twice and Ravneet Singh netting once.
• P. R. Sreejesh’s team next plays Pakistan on Tuesday in the round-robin phase, with the top two advancing to the October 18 final.
• Pakistan began with a 7–2 victory over Malaysia as Sufyan Khan recorded a hat-trick, signaling strong early form among India’s rivals.
• Team management casts this tournament as a key assessment ahead of the 24-team Junior World Cup in Chennai and Madurai from November 28, following targeted training including a drag-flick camp led by Rupinder Pal Singh.