The Indian men’s hockey team stormed into the final of the Asia Cup 2025 with a commanding 7-0 win over the People’s Republic of China in their third Super 4 game at the Rajgir Hockey Stadium in Bihar on Saturday.
Abhishek (46’, 50’), Shilanand Lakra (4’), Dilpreet Singh (7’), Mandeep Singh (18’), Raj Kumar Pal (37’) and Sukhjeet Singh (39’) were on target as India produced a complete performance to seal a title showdown with defending champions Republic of Korea on Sunday.
India hit the ground running, scoring twice in the opening seven minutes. Harmanpreet Singh’s pinpoint aerial ball set up Jarmanpreet Singh on the flank and his cross was neatly tucked in by Lakra at the far post. Soon after, Dilpreet reacted fastest to a rebound from a penalty corner to double the lead.
The hosts kept the pressure on in the second quarter. After Mandeep narrowly missed Abhishek’s cross, he made amends almost immediately by pouncing on a loose ball after a penalty corner scramble to make it 3-0 at the 18-minute mark.
China had no answer to India’s relentless waves of attack. In the third quarter, Raj Kumar Pal finished a clever deflection sequence before Sukhjeet smashed home India’s fifth.
The final quarter brought more goals. Within a minute, Sukhjeet’s dazzling solo run set up Abhishek for a simple finish. Ten minutes later, the forward struck again with a fine backhand to cap off the convincing win.
The win ensured that India topped the Super 4s stage standings with seven points, three more than record five-time winners South Korea.
Harmanpreet Singh’s men will now turn their focus to Sunday’s final against South Korea.