Rajgir (Bihar): India captain Harmanpreet Singh described his side’s 4-1 triumph over Malaysia in the Men’s Asia Cup Super 4s as the “best gift” he could have received on the occasion of his 250th international appearance.
India, playing at the Rajgir Hockey Stadium, had to rally from behind after Shafiq Hassan (2’) put Malaysia ahead in the opening minutes. The hosts regrouped swiftly, equalising through veteran midfielder Manpreet Singh (17’) before Sukhjeet Singh (19’) and Shilanand Lakra (24’) turned the game around with quickfire goals.
Vivek Sagar Prasad (38’) added a fourth after the break to put the result beyond doubt, ensuring India’s second win of the Super 4s stage.
“This win is the best gift I could have received in my 250th international match, and I’m very happy the team gave it to me,” Harmanpreet said after the match. “We win as a team. Even after conceding the first goal, we did not come under pressure. Our plan was clear — stick to our structure, and we knew the goals would come. Yesterday against Korea was a tough day, but today the team showed that we know how to bounce back. Our forwards created opportunities and the defence worked superbly as a unit.”
Coach Craig Fulton praised his team’s resilience and tactical execution. “I am proud of the players’ performance. After yesterday’s draw, the team responded brilliantly. Conceding an early goal is never an ideal situation, but the players showed great character to come back strongly and score four consecutive goals,” he said.
The match itself highlighted India’s ability to respond under pressure. After falling behind, the home side grew stronger with every quarter. Manpreet’s opportunistic strike from a penalty corner rebound levelled the score, and Sukhjeet’s sharp finish soon gave India the lead. Lakra’s deft deflection extended the advantage before Vivek capped the scoring midway through the third quarter.
Malaysia tried to fight back with penalty corners and open-play opportunities, but India’s defence, marshalled by Harmanpreet, stood firm. Goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak also pulled off crucial saves to deny the visitors.
On India’s preparation, Fulton added: “We had done our homework on Malaysia. Every team is different, and today the players succeeded in finding the patterns we were looking for. Our aim is to qualify [for the final], and for that our focus has to remain sharp.”
With the victory, India consolidated their position in the Super 4s group and gained momentum ahead of their next match against China on Saturday.
(IANS)
