Dilnaz nigmetzhanova

U18 Asia Cup: The Indian sub-junior men's and women's teams made winning starts in their respective campaigns at the FIH Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship 2026 in Muscat, Oman, on Monday.

The Indian teams are placed in the Elite Pools of the men's and women's competition. The Indian women's team was the first to start its campaign on the tournament's opening day against Kazakhstan and won 8-3. The men's team faced Bangladesh in their opening match later and registered a 7-3 victory.

The women's team, led by Diya's hat-trick (14', 15', 20'), produced a dominant attacking display. Sandeepa Kumari (3', 12'), Nousheen Naz (6', 9') and Nilam Topno (7') were the others to get on the scoresheet.