India vs Japan, Hockey Asia Cup 2025 Highlights: Harmanpreet Singh nets brace; India beat Japan 3-2

India vs Japan, Hockey Asia Cup 2025 Live: India, the world’s seventh-ranked men’s hockey team and Asia’s No.1, were handed a wake-up call in their Asia Cup opener at Rajgir by China. The visitors dominated large spells, exploiting Indian errors in structure and discipline to win six penalty corners, converting three.India, traditionally strong in defending PCs, looked vulnerable, prompting coach Craig Fulton and rusher Amit Rohidas to admit the need for quick corrections ahead of their next clash with Japan. Fulton stressed that as the tournament favourites, India will face heightened intensity from every opponent. Harmanpreet Singh, returning from injury concerns, provided a silver lining with a hat-trick, including a stunning winner into the top corner, though he also missed chances. Hardik Singh’s link-up play with Mandeep Singh stood out, but the goalkeepers must improve to ease pressure on the defence. Adding to the difficulty is the scorching heat, which has drained players across matches, though brief rain offered some relief. India will take confidence from their recent dominance over Japan, winning four of the last five meetings, but Japan’s 7-0 thrashing of Kazakhstan and their ability to hold India 1-1 in the 2023 Asian Champions Trophy suggest the contest won’t be easy.