Mumtaz scores hat-trick as India beat Malaysia 4-0

Mumtaz Khan scored a hattrick as the Indian women's hockey team thrashed a lowly Malaysia 4-0 to end their pool engagements with an unbeaten record in the FIH Junior World Cup here on Tuesday.

Already assured of a quarterfinal berth before Tuesday's tie, India scored four field goals — three by Mumtaz (10th, 26th, 59th minutes) and one by Sangita Kumari (11th).

India, thus, finished on top of Pool D with maximum nine points from three wins in as many matches.

The Indians had earlier defeated Wales 5-1 before getting the better of formidable Germany 2-1 in their first two pool games.

Their confidence on a different level after ensuring a knock-out berth, the Indians completely dominated the proceedings and created a flurry of chances from the word go.

Their efforts bore fruit in the 10th minute when an opportunist Mumtaz scored from close range.

Star striker Rani Rampal on Tuesday returned to the national side after a lengthy injury lay-off as India on Tuesday named a 22-member women's hockey squad for the upcoming FIH Pro League tie against World No. 1 Netherlands.

TEAM: Goalkeepers: Savita (captain), Rajani Etimarpu;

Defenders: Deep Grace Ekka (vicecaptain), Gurjit Kaur, Nikki Pradhan, Udita, Rashmita Minz, Suman Devi Thoudam; Midfielders: Nisha, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Jyoti, Navjot Kaur, Monika, Namita Toppa, Sonika, Neha, Mahima Choudhary;

Forwards: Aishwarya Rajesh Chavan, Navneet Kaur, Rajwinder Kaur, Rani Rampal, Mariana Kujur.

Standbys: Upasana Singh, Preeti Dubey, Vandana Katariya.