NEW DELHI: Rosan Khujur and Dilraj Singh scored braces each as India cruised past Chile 7-0 in their FIH Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup opener on Friday.

After a goalless first quarter, Rosan struck twice in the 16th and 21st minutes, while Dilraj found the net in the 25th and 34th minutes. Ajeet Yadav (35th), Anmol Ekka (48th), and skipper Rohit (60th) completed the scoring for India.

India will face Oman in their second Pool B match on Saturday.

India control the game from start to finish

The Indians, ranked second in the Under-21 category, dominated possession early on but struggled to create clear scoring chances in the first quarter. Chile’s defence held firm, and India’s first penalty corner, taken by skipper Rohit, was well saved.

The breakthrough came a minute into the second quarter as Rosan slammed home from close range following a setup by Manmeet Singh, who received an aerial ball from deep in front of the D. Rosan doubled the lead in the 21st minute with clever stick work, slipping past two defenders and Chile goalkeeper Nicolas Troncoso after a pass from Arshdeep Singh.

India’s pressure continued with a second penalty corner in the 25th minute, and Dilraj scored from a rebound after the Chilean custodian saved the initial flick. The first half ended with India fully in control, largely confining play to Chile’s half.

Second-half surge and clinical finishing

After the break, Dilraj scored his second goal four minutes in from a pass by Ankit Pal. A minute later, Ajeet added another with a high reverse hit assisted by Gurjot Singh.

Ekka made it 6-0 in the 48th minute by converting India’s third penalty corner, and skipper Rohit sealed the 7-0 win with a penalty stroke just 49 seconds from full time. India earned two more penalty corners in the final seconds but failed to convert them.

In other Pool C action, New Zealand defeated China 5-3, with Jonty Elmes scoring a hat-trick. Argentina beat Japan 4-1, featuring a brace from Nicolas Rodriguez, while Switzerland routed Oman 4-0 in Pool B.

The tournament is being co-hosted by Chennai and Madurai and will run from November 28 to December 10.

(With PTI Inputs)