India to take on China in Asian Champions Trophy hockey opener

NEW DELHI: The Indian hockey team will open its campaign against China in the inaugural Asian Champions Trophy for men, to be held at Ordos, China from September 3 to 11.

India will play against Pakistan, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan and China during the tournament, a Hockey India (HI) release said on Friday.

The second edition of the Asian Champions Trophy for women, which was held for the first time at Busan, South Korea last year, will feature India, China, South Korea and Japan.

Indian women won bronze medal in the inaugural edition. “The top six teams from Asian Games held at Guangzhou, China last year will participate in the men’s event while the top four squads will feature in the women’s event,” HI release said.

Following is the schedule of the matches:

Men: September 3 – India v China September 4 – Japan v India September 6 – India v Korea September 7 – Malaysia v India September 9 – India v Pakistan September 11 – Classification Matches & Final

Women: September 4 – Korea v India September 6 – Japan v India September 8 – China v India September 10 – Bronze Medal Match & Final.