Hulunbuir (China), Sep 11: Paris Olympics 2024 Bronze medallist India continued their dream run in 8th edition of the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy, here on Wednesday.
After beating China 3-0 and Japan 5-1 in their first two encounters, defending champions India on Wednesday hammered Malaysia 8-1 to enter semifinals.
The star of the India win was Raj Kumar Pal, who scored a hat-trick. Rajkumar netted goals in 3rd, 25th and 33rd minutes.
The other successful scorers for India were Araijeet Singh Hundal (6th and 39th minutes), Jugraj Singh (7th minute), skipper Harmanpreet Singh (22nd minute), and Uttam Singh (40th minute).
The solitary goal for Malaysia came through Akhimullah Anuar in the 34th minute. India is currently on top of the standings with nine points from three wins.
Asian Champions Trophy 2024, the six-team tournament is being played in a round-robin format. The top four will advance to the semifinals on September 16, followed by the final on September 17.
Table toppers India will next take on Korea on Thursday. India will finish their league engagements against archrival Pakistan on Saturday.
