India Seeks Asia Cup Hockey Semifinal Berth Against Unbeaten Malaysia

After a disappointing 2-2 draw against South Korea, the Indian men's hockey team will look to bounce back with a win over Malaysia in their Super 4 Asia Cup match on Thursday in Rajgir, Bihar.

You can follow the match, as it happens, on our live blog below.

On Wednesday, India took the lead thanks to a superb solo effort by Hardik Singh but conceded two quick goals from a penalty stroke and penalty corner. For the longest time, India were chasing in the game, and despite creating multiple chances, they failed to beat the goalkeeper.

Eventually, the second goal came from Mandeep Singh in the fourth quarter and the match ended in a 2-2 draw.

Indian attackers had an off day, including the likes of Abhishek, who is known for his finishing and had scored four goals against Kazakhstan in the previous match.

"I thought we did a really good job to get back into the game and created two or three chances to win the game. And it was in the fourth quarter. That's what we want and I can't ask for more. Just didn't happen on the night and we go against tomorrow," head coach Craig Fulton told reporters after the match.

Malaysia, on the other hand, have won all four matches they have played so far in the tournament. They faced China in the opening match of the Super 4s and produced a solid defensive display to win the game 2-0.

It's expected Malaysia will come with a good defensive plan again and defend deep in their circle while possessing a counter-attacking threat. It will not be an easy task for Indian attackers to break down the defence but Fulton is adamant that if the team can show up with the same kind of performance, they will take their chances and score goals.