Our Bureau
Rajgir
India and China from the Pool A of the Asia Cup 2025, in a scintillating match that saw both teams fight it out till the very end. India ended up inching past China 4-3 on the back of their captain Harmanpreet Singh, who scored a terrific hat-trick in the match. Along with him Jugraj Singh also scored once and took India past the ropes.
Before the match started, China were huge underdogs against India who are heavy favourites in the tournament. But China didn’t back down from the fight, taking an early lead in the match 1-0. Then India began showing their class and scored 3 goals without conceding any and taking a lead in the match.
However, China showed that there was a lot of fight left in the match and scored 2 goals back to back and tied the game at the end of the third quarter. India’s captain Harmanpreet then took matters into his own hands scoring the final goal converting another sensational penalty corner and completed his hat-trick in the match.
India had put China in the clinches throughout the match applying relentless pressure on China’s defence with sharp offensive moves and sustained attacks. The team’s forwards were gelling well throughout the match creating scoring opportunities on regular intervals. Each time they penetrated China’s defence and tested their resolve and ended up taking a lead before the final whistle.
India couldn’t have asked for a better start to their tournament that is happening in their home ground. They will be looking to win their fourth Asia Cup title while locking their aim to direct qualification to the FIH Hockey World Cup.
