Asian Hockey Champions Trophy 2024 Highlights: India beat China 3-0 to open their title defence

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: India will next take on Japan!

The defending champions will return tomorrow, September 9, to take on Japan. The match starts 1:15 pm IST. With this win, India go on top of the leaderboard with three points, as the other two matches of the day ended in draws. Korea and Japan played a high-scoring 5-5 draw, while the Pakistan vs Malaysia matched ended 2-2.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: India win, beat China 3-0!

India begin their ACT title defence with an impressive win over the home team, thanks to goals from Sukhjeet (14th min), Uttam (27th) and Abhishek (32nd). Harmanpreet has been named the 'Player of the Match'

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: Another penalty corner for China

58th min: Once again not on target, and India give away possession trying to build a counter. China come close to score again, but fail yet again with their last touch. India stay 3-0 ahead.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: Penalty corner for China! Perhaps their last chance to score a consolation goal. Gurjot Singh is out with a green card. So India down to 10 men. Nice save by Indian defence. Two and a half minutes left to finish.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: It remains 3-0 for India, as Harmanpreet fails to beat the Chinese goalkeeperyet again. Three and a bit minutes left on the clock.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: India 3 - 0 China

Under five minutes left on the clock, and another penalty corner for India. This time Harmanpreet is on the pitch.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: Penalty corner for India

54th min: Harmanpreet not on the pitch, so Jugraj takes it, and lets the drag rip, but not on target. It stays 3-0 for India.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: India 3 - 0 China

53rd min: India pressing hard, as Uttam looks for another deflection at the end of a long slap pass from Manpreet Singh, but fails to find a touch.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: Brilliant set-up for Gurjot!

48th min: Gurjot solds the Chinese defender a dummy inside the 23 with nice touch that finds Abhishek in position to take a shot at goal, which he does, but flies past agonizingly close to the far corner of the Chinese post. India lead 3-0.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: Fourth and final quarter begins! India lead China 3-0

46th min: Good start to the last 15 minutes of the match for China, who come up with an early attack but once again run out of options near the Indian circle. That's been the story of the game for them.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: End of third quarter

India lead 3-0 at the end of 45 minutes, with Abhishek adding another cushion for India in the 32nd min. Sukhjeet and Uttam the other goal-scorers for India.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: India 3 - 0 China

44th min: Another attack by China, it's 2 vs 2. But Jarmanpreet and Jugraj combine nicely to prevent the Chinese players from a shot at goal and take the ball to safety.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: Flick off the mark, and it says India 3 - 0 China, with three minutes left in the third quarter.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: China come agonizingly close to scoring at the end of an error by Jarmanpreet, but Sumit did well to come in the way of the Chinese attacker. A PC given to China, but the home team has asked for a video referral, demanding a penalty stroke for a deliberate body obstruction. However, that has been overruled, and it stays a penalty corner.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: India 3 - 0 China

40th min: Predictable play by China, with India easily reading the game, which reflects in Indian midfielders repeatedly intercepting the Chinese passes to regain possession.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: India 3 - 0 China

38th min: China now hardly testing India, who are controlling play, smartly spreading the ball around and changing flanks.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: Penalty corner for India

33rd min: Harmanpreet steps up to take it, but a deflection off the stick of the first rusher takes the ball out of danger zone for a long corner.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: GOAL! Abhishek on the mark! India 3 - 0 China

32nd min: A blistering tomahawak (reverse hit) from the top of the second half by Abhishek and it sounds the board, reaching there at rocket speed. An aggressive start by India to the third quarter.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: Third quarter begins; India lead China 2-0

Pathak returns in the post for India, as the teams swap sides for the second half of the match.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: Half-time hooter buzzes

India lead China 2-0 at the halfway mark, with goals from Sukhjeet Singh (14th min) and Uttam Singh (27th min). Debutant Gurjot came close to scoring in the final minute of the second quarter, but missed narrowly.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: GOAL! India increase lead to 2-0!

27th min: Harmanpreet coolly finds Raheel in front of the goal with long slap but Raheel missed to score. And the rebound fell to junior India captain Uttam Singh, who doesn't miss.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: India 1 - 0 China

24th min: Play happening almsot entirely in the Chinese half as India like to increase the pressure with more circle entries.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: India 1 - 0 China

22nd min: India continue to play full press as Harmanpreet almost carries the ball to half-line before pushing a pass. Meanwhile, China are sitting inside their own half after conceding the goal, perhaps looking to hurt India on counters.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: Abhishek comes close!

18th min: A rasping hit by Abhishek, but the Chinese 'keeper was awake to the danger and pads it to safety. India 1 - 0 China.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: Second quarter begins

India, leading 1-0, have replaced Krishan Pathak in the goal with Suraj Karkera, continuing with their tactics of swapping the goalkeeper in every quarter.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: End of first quarter

India lead 1-0 at the end of 15 minutes, with Sukhjeet scoring off a smart deflection in the 14th minute even when both the teams were still trying to find their feet in their campaign opener.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: Goal! India score out of nowhere! India 1 - 0 China

14th min: Brilliant slap-in by Jugraj Singh from the right and Sukheet had his stick flat on the ground for a brilliant deflection that went into the net. No chance for the Chinese goalkeeper.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: India 0 - 0 China

13th min: A few soft errors creeping into the Indian game as Harmanpreet's aerial pass across to the left flank wasn't controlled by the attacker.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: India 0 - 0 China

10th min: The drag-flick simply wasn't controlled by the Chinese flicker, almost resulted in a dummy, but nothing could come off it for China.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: First PC for China!

9th min: First test of India's defence. Remember, there's no Sreejesh in the post. Eyes on Pathak.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: India 0 - 0 China

9th min: Brilliant save by Chinese' goalkeeper, as Harmanpreet's flick went straight to his pads. And China come up with a swift counter-attack to reach a virtually vacant Indian circle, but danger averted.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: First penalty corner for India!

7th min: Soft error by China, instead of clearing the ball out of dange zone, the defender dribbled inside the circle and eventually a foot in the circle gave India PC.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: Traffic at Chinese goal-mouth! 0-0

5th min: India come up with their first meanigful attack but the Chiense defence managed to crowd the Indians at goal mouth, leading to a long corner, which was later safely negotiated by the home team's defence.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: India 0 - 0 China

5th min: China looking swifter in the opening exchanges, but Indian defence is intact under captain Harmanpreet.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: First attack for China! 0-0

2nd minute: China earn a turnover after a slightly rusty Manpreet got easily tackled. But it comes to nothing as China attempt an adventurous through ball that Pathak sees off past the baseline.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: Pushback! And it begins.

India, attacking from left to right, are eyeing their recrod-extending fifth ACT title.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: The National Anthems have just been sung

All in readiness as the players spread out in their respective halves.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: Chance for young Indian players

Playmaker Hardik Singh, midfielder Shamsher Singh and strikers Lalit Upadhyay, Gurjant Singh and Mandeep Singh have been rested.

Junior India captain Uttam Singh, debutant Gurjot Singh, striker Araijeet Singh Hundal and midfielder Mohammad Raheel will be keenly watched as upcoming talent.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: A mix of youth and experience

India, the four time ACT winners and the defending champions, have brought 10 players of their Paris Olympics squad to the Asian Champions Trophy.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: Harmanpeet continues to lead India. Here's the full squad:

Goalkeepers: Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Suraj Karkera
Defenders: Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Harmanpreet Singh (C), Jugraj Singh, Sanjay, Sumit
Midfielders: Raj Kumar Pal, Nilakanta Sharma, Vivek Sagar Prasad (VC), Manpreet Singh, Mohammed Raheel Mouseen
Forwards: Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Araijeet Singh Hundal, Uttam Singh, Gurjot Singh

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: It's the start of a new four-year Olympic cycle

The first half of the next four-year Olympic cycle will set Indian hockey's tone for Los Angeles 2028. The coming 24 months will culminate with two major assignments -- the World Cup and the Asian Games -- for which coach Craig Fulton will start arranging the chess pieces from the Asian Champions Trophy onwards.

Asian Champions Trohpy 2024 Live: The second match between Malaysia and Pakistan also ended in a draw

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: The tournament opened with a high-scoring 5-5 draw earlier today

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: India vs China

A prominent name missing from India's squad is goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, who retired after the Paris Games. Filling those big shoes will be Krishan Pathak, who was Sreejesh's understudy for a long time and now will guard the post as India's first-choice custodian. Suraj Karkera, who has always been in the mix and has 43 senior India caps already, is the other goalkeeper in the squad.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: India vs China

Besides hosts China and India, last year's runners-up Malaysia, 2018 Asian Games champions Japan, two-time ACT winners Pakistan, and South Korea will be part of the six-team tournament that will be played in the round-robin league format. Teams finishing in the top four will qualify for the semifinals.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: India vs China

The tournament is being held at a new venue, the Moqi Hockey Training Base at Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia in China.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live: India vs China

India begin its journey in the six-team competition as the four-time winners and the defending champions, having won the title at the last edition of the tournament held in Chennai. And in their first game today, the Olympic bronze medallists take on hosts China.

Asian Champions Trophy 2024 Live

Welcome to Timesofindia.com as Indian hockey begins the next Olympic cycle after the high of a second consecutive bronze medal after Tokyo, which the team won at the recently concluded Paris Games. We are here to bring you all the updates from India's run over the next 10 days in the Asian Champions Trophy in China.