FIH Hockey Women's Junior World Cup 2022: "It feels great to go into the quarter-finals without losing a single game" - Salima Tete

Indian junior women's hockey team captain Salima Tete was elated after India steamrollered Malaysia 4-0 in their final league match of the ongoing FIH Women's Junior World Cup on Tuesday.

Mumtaz Khan scored a hat-trick (10', 26' and 59'), while Sangita Kumari (11') got the other goal for India as Malaysia were left chasing the ball all game.

The win over Malaysia is India's third in as many games and they advanced to the quarter-finals as table toppers from their pool.

Salima Tete said she was happy with the way the team had played as a unit and it felt good to move into the knockouts as an unbeaten team.

"It was a team effort and we are happy with the way we played. It feels great to go into the quarter-finals without losing a single game. But the tournament actually begins now with the knockouts starting," Salima Tete said.

Salima Tete leads from the front

The Indian captain led from the front and was instrumental in building the team's attack. India got off to a sensational start with the forward line playing to strategy, creating space in the attacking circle from the word go.

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Their efforts paid off when Mumtaz Khan made a brilliant deflection off a good assist from Lalrindiki in the 10th minute and in the very next minute, she assisted Sangita Kumari in scoring India's second goal.

The Salima Tete-led team built on their game in the second quarter, improving their attack as they looked to extend the lead.

Meanwhile, India's defense continued to hold strong. Goalkeeper Bichu Devi was once again the focal point of the Indian defense as she made some important saves that kept the pressure on the Malaysians.

India extended the lead to a comfortable 3-0 margin in the 26th minute when Mumtaz scored from a good assist by Lalremsiami inside the circle.

Their defense, on the other hand, kept the Malaysian attack in check, not allowing them to create space in the circle.

The final quarter saw Malaysia put all their heart into stopping India from extending their lead.

After several attempts, through potential shots on goal and a couple of penalty corner chances, India were finally able to score from a well-worked combination. Mumtaz Khan picked up a hat-trick to push India's lead to 4-0 in the dying moments of the game.

Indian captain Salima Tete was adjudged the player of the match for her efficient captaincy.

India will next meet Korea in the quarter-finals on April 8th.