India chase seventh Asian Champions Trophy final as Mohali stages first international match
India will pursue a record-extending seventh appearance in the Asian Champions Trophy final when they meet Korea in the semi-final at Mohali’s Olympian Balbir Singh Senior Hockey Stadium on Wednesday, November 4. The fixture will be Mohali’s first-ever international hockey match.
The semi-final is one of three matches scheduled at Mohali on November 4, following the fifth-place match between Bangladesh and China and the first semi-final between Japan and Malaysia. League-stage matches for the tournament were held in Jalandhar, where organisers reported an encouraging turnout and India produced a dominant display to finish the round-robin unbeaten at the top of the standings.
India won all five of their round-robin games, scoring 34 goals and conceding five during the league phase. Skipper Harmanpreet Singh leads the tournament scoring chart with nine goals, while Sukhjeet Singh and Dilpreet Singh have four each; Abhishek has three goals but missed the final league match after an injury, and drag-flicker Jugraj Singh has added three.
Despite India’s attacking depth, the team has shown a recurring vulnerability in the second quarter during the four matches after their 13-0 win over Bangladesh. In the Jalandhar meeting with Korea India conceded six penalty corners, and against China, Malaysia and Japan they briefly surrendered equalisers in the second quarter before recovering in later periods.
Coach Craig Fulton played down concerns after India’s comprehensive win over Korea in the league stage and underlined the different nature of knockout football. "I think we're in a good place. We've scored eight goals and kept a clean sheet. I can't complain. I'm happy with where we are," said Fulton. "The pressure will be different. We need a good start, that’s going to be the key," he added.
India’s recent results against Korea include an 8-0 victory in Jalandhar and an 8-2 win in Nagoya during the Asian Games, the latter cited as their biggest winning margin against Korea at the continental showpiece. Across 26 meetings between the sides, India have won 16 matches and seven have finished as draws; Korea’s last victory in regulation time came in the 2013 Asia Cup final, with a 2019 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup final win achieved via a penalty shootout.
The availability of forward Abhishek remains a selection concern for India after he was forced off during the victory against Malaysia and missed the subsequent league match with Korea; Fulton acknowledged his recovery could require patience. Given the forward-line form of the hosts, India will hope they can cope if Abhishek is unavailable.
Match timings for November 4 are: 2:00 PM China vs Bangladesh (5th-6th place match), 4:30 PM Japan vs Malaysia (first semi-final) and 7:00 PM India vs South Korea (second semi-final). The Asian Champions Trophy matches on November 4 will be broadcast live in India on Star Sports Select 2 and livestreamed on the JioHotstar app and website.