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Asian Champions Trophy: India strike thrice in final quarter to down Japan 4-1

India secured a third straight win at the Asian Champions Trophy 2026 in Jalandhar.

By , Editor

· 2 min read

Field hockey, general photo
Field hockey (general photo, not from this event) Photo: coops456 / Pixabay, Pixabay Content License

India beat Japan 4-1 at Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium, Jalandhar, moving to the top of the table. Abhishek Nain scored twice on his 150th international appearance, while Harmanpreet Singh and Vishnukant Singh also scored.

Key takeaways

  • India defeated Japan 4-1 in Jalandhar
  • Abhishek Nain scored a brace on his 150th international appearance
  • Harmanpreet Singh and Vishnukant Singh also scored
  • India moved to the top of the table with three consecutive wins
  • India will face Malaysia next on October 31

India beat Japan 4-1 at Jalandhar’s Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium in the Asian Champions Trophy 2026, registering their third consecutive win and moving to the top of the table. Abhishek Nain scored twice, while Harmanpreet Singh and Vishnukant Singh also found the net for India. Shota Kagawa scored for Japan. The match took place on Friday, October 30, 2026.

Match details

India opened the scoring in the 11th minute when Sukhjeet Singh created an opportunity for Abhishek Nain, who made no mistake.

Japan struck back in the dying seconds of the first quarter when Kagawa converted a penalty stroke, beating goalkeeper Suraj Karkera to his right to level the scores at 1-1.

Japan earned four penalty corners in the second quarter, while India failed to win any in that quarter. The second quarter ended goalless, marking the first time in the tournament that the hosts had failed to score in a quarter.

The penultimate quarter also saw the score remain locked at 1-1.

India earned their first penalty corner of the match but failed to convert before Harmanpreet Singh finally converted one with a powerful drag-flick that beat both the goalkeeper and the post defender to restore India’s lead.

Milestone and context

Abhishek Nain was felicitated for completing 150 international appearances. He had missed the previous match due to the rotation policy, while local hero Mandeep Singh and Nilakanta Sharma were rested for the match.

After wearing orange in their first two matches, India began their third outing in white. Harmanpreet Singh’s drag-flick was his fifth goal of the tournament. Minutes after Harmanpreet’s goal, a well-coordinated team move created an opportunity for Abhishek from close range.

The forward took a couple of touches, turned past his marker and beat the goalkeeper to extend India’s advantage. With five minutes remaining, Harmanpreet’s aerial pass was intercepted brilliantly by Vishnukant, who then produced a solo effort to seal India’s third consecutive victory.

Tournament background

The Men’s Asian Champions Trophy is an event held annually by the Asian Hockey Federation since 2011. It features Asia’s six top field hockey teams competing in a round robin format. India is the most successful team in the tournament history, winning the trophy five times.

The next most frequent champion has been Pakistan, winning the trophy thrice. The 2026 Men’s Asian Champions Trophy is the 9th edition of the tournament, organized by the Asian Hockey Federation.

The tournament is being held from 27 October to 5 November 2026 across two cities in Punjab, India.

What happens next

India will next face Malaysia in their fourth match of the tournament on October 31.

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