Captain Harmanpreet Singh scored a hat-trick to guide India to a nervy 4-3 victory over a resilient China in their opening match of the Men's Asia Cup in Rajgir on Friday. While the win gets the host nation's campaign started, the unconvincing performance against a lower-ranked opponent has raised serious questions about the team's defensive frailties.
Harmanpreet's world-class drag-flicking proved to be the difference between the two sides in a tightly contested affair. His three clinical conversions from penalty corners, along with another from Jugraj Singh, were just enough to secure the three points. The captain's goal-scoring was the biggest positive for India, although he did miss a penalty stroke, hitting the post in a match where he was otherwise lethal from set pieces.
In a remarkable statistic, all seven goals of the match came from penalty corners, highlighting both teams' strengths and weaknesses. After China took a surprise early lead, India fought back to go 3-1 up. However, the hosts' porous defense allowed China to mount a comeback, leveling the scores at 3-3 in the third quarter before Harmanpreet's final goal in the 47th minute sealed the win.
Despite dominating possession, India struggled to break down China's packed defense and failed to score a single field goal, having two strikes disallowed for infringements. China's strategy of defending deep and launching swift counter-attacks repeatedly caught the Indian backline off guard, a major concern for coach Craig Fulton as the tournament progresses.
While a win is a win, the narrow escape has served as a wake-up call for the tournament favorites. The despondent expressions on the Indian players' faces after the final whistle told the story of a team that knew it was a "lucky escape." With other title contenders like Japan, Malaysia, and South Korea all starting their campaigns with massive victories, India will need a much-improved performance in their upcoming matches to live up to their billing.