The Indian Men’s Hockey Team registered a 3-0 victory. In their first match of the Men’s Asian Champions Trophy 2024 against hosts China at the Moqi Hockey Training Base on Sunday. Sukhjeet Singh (14‘), Uttam Singh (27‘) and Abhishek (32‘) got on the scoresheet for India. Notably, Gurjot Singh made his debut for the Indian Men’s Hockey Team in this match against China.
India was slow off the block while China looked ready. They created an early counterattack opportunity but an alert Krishan Pathak saw the ball sail wide harmlessly. Halfway through the quarter, Abhishek forced a penalty corner from China. However, Harmanpreet’s drag flick was saved. China initiated a blistering counter-attack which was put to an end by the Indian defense. China pushed the initiative, drawing a penalty corner with 6 minutes left but squandered the opportunity.
Jugraj Singh thundered the ball into the shooting circle. Then Sukhjeet deflected it into the top corner to make it 1-0 for India. India began controlling the tempo of the game, pushing China into their half. While China was happy to sit back and hunt for an equalizer on the counter. With minutes to go for the halftime break, Uttam Singh doubled the lead for India, slotting away a stray ball into the nets.
India tops China in the first match
India came out swinging in the third quarter; Manpreet found Abhishek at the top of the circle, who rifled the ball to sound the backboard on the half-turn and make it 3-0 for India. China’s spirits, buoyed by the attempt, led them to manufacture a 3 on 3 counter but Jugraj Singh was on hand to avert the danger.
The last quarter played out similarly. With 12 minutes left in the game, Gurjot Singh bamboozled the Chinese defense on the left wing and found Abhishek whose reverse shot whisked past the goalpost. China mounted pressure on India in the dying moments, holding India hostage in their shooting circle but Harmanpreet and company stood tall to see the danger away.
Captain Harmanpreet Singh commended the performance post-match, saying, “I think we played very well. We created some good chances but the best part is that we kept a clean sheet. Some new faces got an opportunity to perform and I think they played very well. It’s a good opportunity for them to play with the Asian teams and gel with the senior team. They are skillful and very talented. I wish them the best for the future.”
