In their third Pool A match, India and Pakistan fought to a dramatic 1-1 tie to maintain their perfect record in the Salalah Junior Asia Cup hockey competition.
In the crucial game late on Saturday night, Sharda Nand Tiwari took India the lead in the 24th minute, but Basharat Ali canceled it out in the 44th.
With seven points from three games, India now sits second in Pool A behind Pakistan (also with seven points), although they are ahead on goal differential.
With six points after three games, Japan, who earlier on Saturday defeated Chinese Taipei 10-1, is third.
Prior to defeating Japan 3-1 in their second match, India had hammered Chinese Taipei 18-0 in their first encounter.
On Saturday night, the Indians immediately went on the attack and repeatedly forayed into Pakistan's defense to put it under strain.
Early in the game, India got a few penalty corners but was unable to take advantage of them.
While India's Amandeep Lakra remained rock solid in front of the net, Pakistan also managed to generate a few opportunities and even came close to scoring through a penalty corner. Nevertheless, the first quarter finished scoreless.
However, India finally got the much-needed lead in the second period when Sharda Nand expertly converted a penalty corner.
With a narrow advantage at the break thanks to a 1-0 lead, the Indian colts began to play with greater confidence and often threatened Pakistan's defense, but they were unable to score for the second time in the second quarter.
After the change of ends, Pakistan began play with an aggressive mentality in an effort to score the equalizer. The strategy worked, as Basharat scored a field goal one minute into the third quarter to tie the game.
In the fourth quarter, India went all out in an effort to retake the lead, while Pakistan focused more on counterattacks.
Nevertheless, despite both sides having several scoring opportunities, the game ended in a 1-1 stalemate since neither team was able to score.
On Sunday, India will play Thailand in their last group match.
