New Delhi: India couldn’t have scripted a better start to their 2025 FIH Women’s Junior World Cup journey in Santiago, Chile. The young squad showcased a ruthless attacking performance to sweep aside Namibia 13-0 in their opening clash on Monday.

This year marks a historic expansion of the tournament as for the first time, 24 teams are in the fray, divided into six pools and India find themselves in Pool C alongside Germany, Ireland and Namibia. Women in Blue are in a competitive group with little room for slow starts. The team arrived in Santiago early to acclimatise and those extra days seem to have paid off handsomely.

From the first whistle, India showed they were in no mood to ease their way into the competition. Forwards Kanika Siwach and Hina Bano were unstoppable each netting a superb hat-trick as Namibia struggled to keep up with the pace and precision of the Indian attack. Every move looked sharp, easy press coordinated and the goals kept flowing without any drop in intensity.

It was a performance that reflected both preparation and hunger. Skipper Jyoti Singh had spoken of the team’s plans to build early momentum and her teammates delivered exactly that. For a squad eyeing a deep run and perhaps another podium finish after the high of winning bronze in 2013, delivering the message to the rest of the field was loud and clear.

Road ahead in Pool C

While Namibia are making their first appearance at this level and are still finding their feet, together assignments await India. Germany opened their campaign with a 7-1 win over Ireland earlier in the day, which means Wednesday’s clash between India and Germany already has the feel of a key group-stage decider. Ireland will follow as the final Pool C opponent on Friday.

As the World Cup rolls on, India have laid the foundation they hoped for, strong, clinical and brimming with belief.