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Asian Champions Trophy, India vs China Preview: Tournament favourites and three-time champions India will look to give final touches to their Asian Games preparation and address the areas of improvement in the Asian Champions Trophy men’s hockey tournament, beginning on Thursday. World number four India are the highest ranked side in the tournament and will open their campaign against China at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium, which will host a major event for the first time since 2007. It is also the first time India would be hosting the ACT since the tournament’s inception in 2011. For India, the primary objective in the tournament would be to test the players and get a fair bit of idea about their Asian rivals ahead of the Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou, China from September 23 to October 8. With the Asian Games providing a direct ticket to next year’s Paris Olympics, India are expected to test their resources in the ACT while also playing a balancing act to keep their players fresh and free from injuries ahead of the all-important continental showpiece. China, on the other hand, would be playing their first competitive tournament this year, having missed the World Cup. (with inputs from PTI)
India vs China Hockey Highlights, Asian Champions Trophy: India thump China 7-2 in their opener
Asian Champions Trophy Hockey: India demolished China 7-2 with six goals coming in the first half as the tournament got underway in Chennai.
 "India vs China Hockey Highlights, Asian Champions Trophy: India thump China 7-2 in their opener")
Viren Rasquinha summing up the game beautifully
India 7-2 China
— Viren Rasquinha (@virenrasquinha) August 3, 2023
Big win for India to kick off the Asian Champions Trophy. Superb 1st half for 🇮🇳, 6 goals including 5 goals from PCs.
Slight concern is the lethargic defending which led to 2 goals & several PCs conceded. Can’t afford such complacency in tougher matches ahead
India dominated the contest throughout
India beat China 7-2
Just the one goal in the fourth quarter but the damage was already done. India start the Asian Champions Trophy campaign with a 7-2 demolition of China. Although, this was expected. What was not, perhaps, is India conceding two goals. First was soft a lapse at the back. The second, a belter that was unstoppable.
On the other end, India scored seven with brace each from Harmanpreet Singh and Varun Kumar. Sukhjeet Singh, Mandeep Singh and Akashdeep Singh got their name on the scoresheet too. For Craig Fulton, there’s also positives in seeing conversions from the penalty corner spot
India 7-2 China
58’ Raised ball in the China area and India have won a penalty corner. Green card shown to China’s No 1. Manpreet Singh with the shot, it is saved. Another penalty corner with the ball striking a foot. On the second, Harmanpreet goes to the Weihao’s right but it is blocked.
India 7-2 China
India have a golden opportunity to make it eight but the shot is saved and then cleared off the line! Mandeep and Akashdeep the two players who lead the attack. Akashdeep gets the shot on but the shot is blocked. He semi-appeals for the ball going over the line. There’s no review to check if it did. The scoreline remains the same
India 7-2 China
Mandeep collects the ball with his back to the goal. He turns just a touch and lets a tomahawk go. There’s plenty of power on it but not accuracy to bother scorers once again
India 7-2 China
53’ Shamsher collects the ball inside China’s D and has a shot but it is not struck cleanly. Goes away from the goal and the China defense can let it go out without fuss
India 7-2 China
50’ Sukhjeet turns the ball out of play intentionally and China have a penalty corner. The shot is low, into the corner but lacked power. It is comfortably blocked and sent away
India 7-2 China
Fourth quarter underway. An opportunity for India to get more on the board, without conceding, and for China to worry the host team further. For a team that hasn’t played a competitive tournament this year, this was always going to be a challenge
India 7-2 China
Penalty corner for China! Amit Rohidas hits the ball over the baseline. Goalie PR Sreejesh refers claiming it was not intentional. The TV umpire thinks there’s no reason to change th decision. Jieshing Gao, who had struck a belter earlier, lets fly but the ball takes the first rusher’s stick and goes wide
India 7-2 China
GOAL! Mandeep Singh scores! India with variation on the penalty corner this time. Amit Rohidas flicks it wide of the goal and Mandeep gets down low to power it home with a horizontal stick. Lovely stuff!
India 6-2 China
40’ Gurjant gets the ball and has the room to take a shot, he lets go but the effort is tame and saved easily by Weihao. A couple of seconds later, India win a penalty corner after dangerous play by a China player. To make things worse, a green card is shown
India 6-2 China
37’ India are moving the ball around well with quick passing and finding each teammate swiftly. The three-time winners almost get another. Jugraj Singh with an aerial ball to Jarmanpreet in the circle. Jarmanpreet collects neatly and goes across the face of the goal. Was that a shot or a pass?
Dilip Tirkey rolling back the clock
Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey is watching and rewinding the clock
Seeing Team India playing Asian Champions Trophy today,I am remembering my journey before 16 years, when i was playing at the same venue before this lovely crowd.#AsianChampionsTrophy2023 #IndiaKaGame pic.twitter.com/VJm7IDyrx3
— Dilip Kumar Tirkey (@DilipTirkey) August 3, 2023
India 6-2 China
Akashdeep Singh traps a long ball after a mistake from a Chinese player in the D. He gets another shot but it is blocked and then there’s a logjam. China refer, claiming there’s a push, but it has been rejected. China lose their referral. India have a penalty corner. Hardik with the injection, Harmanpreet Singh with the shot and it is saved. That’s good keeping and defending from China. The 25th ranked side look to play on the counter but run out of options
Second half underway: India 6-2 China
China get the second half underway and try to send it long but there’s a miscue and it comes to India immediately.
???? HALF TIME: ???????? India 6-2 China ????????
4’ Harmanpreet Singh (1-0)
7’ Harmanpreet Singh (2-0)
14’ Sukhjeet Singh (3-0)
15’ Akashdeep Singh (4-0)
17’ Wenhui E (4-1)
18’ Varun Kumar (5-1)
24’ Jiesheng Gao (5-2)
29’ Varun Kumar (6-2)
Asia Champions Trophy results today
Korea 2-1 Japan
Malaysia 3-1 Pakistan
Half time: India 6-2 China
At the break, India lead China 6-2 with a brace each from Harmanpreet Singh and Varun Kumar. Goals also coming from Sukhjeet Singh and Akashdeep Singh. China found the net through Wenhui E and Jisheng Gao. India would be pleased with the effort from PC but the defensive lapses are a cause for concern
India 6-2 China
GOAL! With seconds left in the half, Shamsher earns India a penalty corner. A circle entry hits the foot and India have a chance to add to their tally. And they do! Varun Kumar with his second and India convert another penalty corner. Once again, it is into the corner, to the goalkeeper’s left. The player on the corner possibly got a stick to it but couldn’t keep it out
India 5-1 China
With 5 mins and 44 seconds left, Gurjant with a hand on the back of a Chinese player and they have a penalty corner. It is blocked off by the first defender but it has struck the foot. Another penalty corner for China. Jisheng Gao gets the ball and he thunders the ball into the top corner. That’s a sublime goal from China. China make it 5-2
India 5-1 China
GOAL! Penalty corner for India and another goal for India! Once again, the China goalkeeper is beaten to his left. Varun Kumar makes up for his error by smashing the dragflick into the China goal. Three penalty corners converted for India now
India 4-1 China
China have one goal back! Wenhui E gets on the scoresheet. Varun with a mistake to grab an aerial ball, Jugraj is unable to cut it out and the shot creeps in with Pathak beaten at the near post
India 4-0 China
Make that four goals for India! Surging run from Akashdeep right after the second quarter gets underway and there is plenty of space for him to get a shot on and there’s plenty of heat on it to beat the keeper. 4-0 to India!
India 2-0 China
With seven seconds to go in the quarter, India have won another PC. Hardik with the injection, shot is blocked, another shot on the rebound which falls to Sukhjeet who cleverly improvises to score from iin between his legs with his back to the goal. Lovely stuff from Sukhjeet and India lead 3-0!
India 2-0 China
Two more penalty corners created by India but neither come off. Harmanpreet first and then Rohidas have their shots blocked and China resist India’s advances
India 2-0 China
India have a second penalty corner and they are on the mark once again. Who else but Harmanpreet Singh to slot the ball home. Much like the previous PC, this one gets aerial as it moves towards the goal and beats the keeper to his left. Two goals for Harmanpreet now
India vs China Live
With four minutes and 30 seconds played, India have a penalty corner. Hardik with the injection, perfect trap and Harmanpreet Singh is bang on with the dragflick. India lead 1-0!
India vs China first quarter
Couple of semi-chances for India early on but nothing concrete comes out of it. Sumit is carded in the fourth minute for what seemed like pushing and shoving
Here’s how India are lining up at the start
Head-to-head records
India vs China overall: Played 7, India 6, China 1
India vs China in Asian Champions Trophy: Played 4, India 3, China 1
India vs China Lineups
India XI: PR Sreejesh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh, Gurjant Singh, Sumit, Shamsher Singh, Mandeep Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Amit Rohidas
China XI: Weihao Wang, Qijun Chen, Chengfu Chen, Jiesheng Gao, Wenghui E, Chengcong Chen, Zixiang Guo, Shihao Du, Changliang Lin, Lei Meng, Weibao Ao
India hockey squad for 2023 Asian Champions Trophy
Goalkeepers: PR Sreejesh, Krishan Bahadur Pathak
Defenders: Jarmanpreet Singh, Sumit, Jugraj Singh, Harmanpreet Singh (captain), Varun Kumar, Amit Rohidas
Midfielders: Hardik Singh (vice-captain), Vivek Sagar Prasad, Manpreet Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Shamsher Singh.
Forwards: Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Gurjant Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, S Karthi.
2023 Asian Champions Trophy
Teams in contention: India, China, Pakistan, Japan, Korea, Malaysia
Highest-ranked team: India (fourth)
Lowest-ranked: China (25th)
India’s schedule at ACT:
Tonight: vs China
August 4: vs Japan
August 6: vs Malaysia
August 7: vs Korea
August 9: vs Pakistan
Pre-tournament chatter
Coach Craig Fulton: “We are looking forward to the positives and negatives. But, at the same time, we get to look at a few extra players as well, which is important for us. Injury is never nice for any team or player. So, yes, I understand the clash and the timing.”
On India’s penalty corner conversion issue: “We have a world-class penalty corner (specialists). All the players involved in it are really good. Opposition teams know we have a threat there and try to diminish it by trying to run down or not conceding as many is always something that teams are trying to do, and that’s what we try to do”
“I think we can always improve. It’s just how much detail we want to go into and how much time we put into improving it.”
India in Asian Champions Trophy
2011: Champions
2012: Runner-up
2013: Fifth
2016: Champions
2018: Joint-champions
2021: Third
China’s recent results
In sharp contrast to India, China are playing their first competitive tournament this year, having missed the World Cup.
India’s recent results
India finished ninth in the FIH World Cup in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela
Since then, India have played 16 games, winning nine, losing five and drawing two
Most recently, India finished third on a tour of Spain which featured four teams. There’s been just three days between the third place playoff and today’s fixture
India vs China Hockey Live
Tournament favourites, three-time Asian Champions Trophy winners and hosts India take on China in the openers for both teams in Chennai. The tournament holds importance with the Asian Games around the corner which is the ticket to Paris Olympics next year. Plenty to play for!
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