India on Thursday booked a berth in the final of the Sultan of Johar Cup hockey tournament with a 3-1 victory over New Zealand here.
The Indian junior men’s team dominated the proceedings from the outset with Mandeep Singh scoring in the 19th minute when his shot from the right beat the rival custodian Richard Joyce.
Harjeet Singh increased the lead in the 27th minute, while skipper Manpreet Singh made it 3-0 in the 34th.
In the second-half, Benedict Van Woerkom scored a field goal in the 48th minute to reduce the margin, but that was the only time when the New Zealanders had their say.
India will now play host Malaysia in its last league match on Saturday.
After four matches, India leads the points table with 10 points and remains the only undefeated team in the competition.
India had earlier stunned defending champions Australia 2-0 and Germany 3-1 before settling for a goalless draw against Pakistan in its previous matches.
The result:
India 3 (Mandeep Singh 19, Harjeet Singh 27, Manpreet Singh 34) bt New Zealand 1 (Benedict Van Woerkom 48).
