s2h team

JALANDHAR, November 1: India’s reliance on a single player—or its comfort zone for goals—once again came to the fore at Jalandhar, where captain Harmanpreet Singh provided a dream start in either half to douse the Malaysian fire before it could engulf the defending champions. His hat-trick secured a 4-2 victory, India’s fourth successive win in the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Punjab 2026, but also highlighted the team’s continuing dependence on its inspirational skipper.

Harmanpreet struck in the third, 33rd and 58th minutes, converting two penalty corners and a penalty stroke, while Sukhjeet Singh scored India’s other goal in the 43rd minute. Akhimullah Anuar (25th) and Shello Silverius (60th) scored for Malaysia. The Indian captain was deservedly named Player of the Match.

Captain Harmanpreet Singh earns the praise for his priceless feat with penalty corners. India vs Malaysia ACT M 2026 (3)

The contest, a repeat of the Asian Games 2026 gold-medal encounter that India won 5-1, brought together two unbeaten teams who had already secured semi-final berths. Yet, while India maintained their winning run before an enthusiastic home crowd, Malaysia exposed vulnerabilities that the scoreline alone might conceal.

Harmanpreet’s opening penalty-corner conversion in the third minute, executed through a variation involving Jugraj Singh, offered India an ideal start. The hosts had opportunities to extend their lead, but failed to capitalise, allowing Malaysia to remain in contention.

The visitors gradually seized the initiative in the second quarter, pressing India’s defence and earning a series of penalty corners. Goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak and first rusher Amit Rohidas made crucial interventions, but Malaysia finally found the breakthrough in the 25th minute when Anuar converted a penalty corner to level the scores at half-time.

India needed their captain again to restore control. Harmanpreet struck his second goal in the 33rd minute, converting another penalty corner and providing the spark the hosts required. Malaysia’s task became more difficult when Faiz Jali received a 10-minute yellow card in the 38th minute for charging into Mandeep Singh from behind.

India exploited the numerical advantage. Hardik Singh supplied an incisive pass to Sukhjeet, who finished with a backhand strike in the 43rd minute to extend the lead to 3-1. It was a valuable contribution from a forward line that must share the scoring responsibility if India are to avoid becoming predictable against stronger opposition.

A yellow card to Harmanpreet in the 48th minute briefly gave Malaysia a numerical advantage, but they could not capitalise. India regained control, and a penalty stroke in the 58th minute, awarded after the ball struck Marhan’s foot on the goal-line, gave Harmanpreet the opportunity to complete his hat-trick.

Silverius scored a consolation goal in the final minute, but Malaysia’s late effort could not prevent a 4-2 defeat.

The victory strengthened India’s position at the top of the standings with 12 points from four matches and a goal difference of +21. Malaysia remained second with nine points, while Japan and South Korea occupied third and fourth places respectively. All four teams had qualified for the semi-finals.

Harmanpreet, now the tournament’s leading scorer with eight goals, said India’s objective was clear: winning the title at home. He also praised the youngsters and credited the crowd’s infectious energy for inspiring the team.

India’s next league match is against South Korea on November 2. The hosts will hope to maintain their winning momentum, but spreading the goal-scoring burden beyond their captain remains an important challenge as the competition approaches its decisive stage.