India beat China 5-2 in the Hero Asian Champions Trophy in Jalandhar, with Harmanpreet Singh and Sukhjeet Singh scoring twice each and Jugraj Singh adding a penalty corner. The win keeps the defending champions top of the table with six points after two matches.
Jalandhar, India: China made India work for it. After a 13-0 opening rout of Bangladesh, the hosts met a side that equalised from a penalty corner and pulled a goal back after the break, and had to rely on their drag-flickers to put distance between the teams at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium.
Sukhjeet strikes first
Sukhjeet Singh opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a field goal. China answered in the 26th, when Yang Peng converted a penalty corner to make it 1-1. The equaliser lasted barely a minute.
Harmanpreet restores control
Harmanpreet Singh put India back in front in the 27th minute from a penalty corner, and India led 2-1 at the half. He struck again from another set piece in the 31st to make it 3-1. Three minutes later Sukhjeet claimed his second, a field goal, and India were 4-1 ahead.
China pull one back, Jugraj seals it
Chen Chongcong gave China some hope with a penalty-corner goal in the 36th minute, cutting the deficit to 4-2. The comeback never gathered momentum. In the 47th minute Jugraj Singh converted a penalty corner to make it 5-2 and settle the match. Sukhjeet was named Player of the Match.
Table and what comes next
India lead the standings on six points with a goal difference of +16. Malaysia (+3) and Japan (+2) are also on six after beating South Korea 3-1 and Bangladesh 1-0 respectively, while China, South Korea and Bangladesh have no points. India meet Japan at the same venue on Friday at 7:00 pm IST. The league stage runs until 2 November, the top four teams reach the semi-finals in Mohali on 4 November, and the medal matches follow on 5 November. A Mandeep hat-trick had powered India to a 13-0 win over Bangladesh in the opener on Tuesday.
Result (Thursday 29 October 2026): India 5 (Sukhjeet Singh 12’, 34’; Harmanpreet Singh 27’, 31’; Jugraj Singh 47’) bt China 2 (Yang Peng 26’; Chen Chongcong 36’). Half-time: 2-1. Player of the Match: Sukhjeet Singh.
