Salta (Argentina): An aggressive India thrashed China 4-1 in its second Group ‘A’ match to inch closer to a semifinal berth in the Champions Challenge I hockey tournament here.

India, which led 2-0 at half-time, now tops the group jointly with New Zealand, which beat Belgium 4-1.

Prabhjot Singh opened the scoring in the seventh minute.

Rajpal Singh deflected the ball into the goal from close range to make it 2-0 in the 35th minute.

The Indians found it tougher to penetrate the rival defence in the second half and China reduced the gap in the 41st minute with a penalty stroke powerfully shot by Yi Song.

It took a penalty corner strike in the 56th minute for Sarwanjit Singh, pouncing on a rebound, to finally increase India’s tally and build back a more comfortable two-goal cushion.

China increased the pressure in the final minutes and had another good chance on a penalty corner after a yellow card to Sardar Singh.

But their elaborate combination ended up wide and India sealed a 4-1 win after a last minute goal by Shivendra Singh.

India will play Belgium in the final group match on Thursday. Top two teams from each group will qualify for the semifinals. — PTI