Overview

• India beat Japan 3-2 in Rajgir, with captain Harmanpreet Singh converting two penalty corners after Mandeep Singh’s early field goal.
• With two wins from two, India top Pool A on six points and face Kazakhstan next as Japan and China vie for the second Super 4s slot.
• China’s 13-1 rout of Kazakhstan keeps their campaign alive and tightens Pool A permutations on goal difference.
• Harmanpreet has five goals across the first two matches, reinforcing India’s penalty-corner edge even as defensive lapses kept both games tense.
• The Asia Cup provides direct qualification to next year’s Hockey World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands, heightening the urgency of Super 4s performance.