Captain Harmanpreet Singh's hat-trick secures fourth win for Indian hockey team

In the Asian Champions Trophy, the Indian men's hockey team defeated Malaysia 4-2 thanks to a strong performance by captain Harmanpreet Singh. With this victory, the Indian team won its fourth consecutive match in the tournament.

Played at the Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar, Harmanpreet Singh scored a hat-trick in this match, scoring two goals via penalty corners and one via a penalty stroke. He has become the highest-scoring player in the tournament with a total of eight goals.

The fourth goal for the team was scored by Sukhjit Singh in the 43rd minute through a brilliant field attack. By halftime, both teams were tied at 1-1. For Malaysia, Anuar Akhimullah and Shello Silverius put the ball in the goal post.

After the match, captain Harmanpreet Singh said that playing in Punjab near his home, in front of family and in a stadium full of fans has been a very big and emotional experience for the entire team. He stated that he also started playing hockey from here, so leading the country here is a very special feeling.

In other matches of the league round, the South Korea team defeated Bangladesh by a big margin of 5-0, while the match between Japan and China ended in a 2-2 draw.

Following these results, along with India and Malaysia, Japan and South Korea have also secured their places in the semi-finals. On the other hand, China and Bangladesh have been eliminated from the race for the tournament's title round.

Key developments

• Captain Harmanpreet Singh scored a hat-trick to give India its fourth win
• Harmanpreet Singh became the top scorer in the tournament with eight goals
• Japan and South Korea also secured places in the last four
• China and Bangladesh knocked out of the semi-final race