Anmol Ekka's 16th and 17th goals put India in a fourth straight Junior Asia Cup final

India's junior men reached a fourth consecutive AHF Junior Asia Cup final by beating Malaysia 3-1 in Moqi, China, on Friday. Captain Anmol Ekka scored twice from penalty corners, taking his tournament tally to 16 goals before a late third. Sukhvinder added a field goal in the 51st minute. M. Rahuul scored for Malaysia with 24 seconds left, from the visitors' eighth penalty corner.

Goalkeeper Vivek Lakra was named player of the match. He stopped a penalty stroke in the 53rd minute and made a diving save in the 58th. Those two interventions kept the score at 2-0, then 3-0, long enough for India to close the game. Malaysia had come into the semi-final as Pool B runners-up, with wins over Kazakhstan, Bangladesh and China and a 5-2 loss to Pakistan.

India had topped Pool A with 10 points from three wins and a draw. South Korea took the other semi-final slot from that pool after a 3-2 win over Japan. The second semi-final, Pakistan against South Korea, will decide India's opponent on 13 September. India are chasing a fourth title in a row and a sixth overall.

The pattern of the semi-final was familiar to anyone who has watched this Indian junior side. Early circle entries from Ajeet Yadav came off long passes out of defence. The scoreboard moved when Ekka's drag flick found the net. Malaysia lived on penalty corners and needed eight of them to score once. Lakra's stroke save in the 53rd minute was followed, almost immediately, by another Indian penalty corner. A Malaysian challenge was dismissed. Ekka scored again.

Sixteen goals by the interval of a knockout week is an unusual number for a drag-flicker at this age group. It also concentrates risk. Teams will pack the first rusher and the post on 13 September. India's answer so far has been volume: win the corner, vary the injector, and trust Ekka. Lakra's work means the defence does not have to be perfect.

Hockey India posted the result on Friday night. The senior programme will watch the final for names. Junior Asia Cups have been a feeder for the senior core for a decade. A fourth straight title would be a development statement as much as a trophy. A loss to Pakistan or South Korea would reopen questions about whether this group can close a final the way it closes a semi-final.

The immediate task is recovery. Moqi's schedule gives India a day and a half. Malaysia leave with a consolation goal and a lesson about converting corners against a keeper who had already decided the match.