Asian Champion Trophy 2023 final: Free-scoring India aim to sign off with title against Malaysia

The free-scoring Indian team will be aiming to sign off on a high and claim the Asian Champions Trophy when they take on Malaysia in the final on Saturday, August 12.

The Indian team, led by Harmanpreet Singh, have been impressive throughout the tournament, maintaining an unbeaten run.

They have dominated their opponents, including a 5-0 thrashing of Malaysia in their third match of the tournament. India’s journey to the final has been marked by a series of victories, with them winning four out of their five games.

The only off-colour performance for the hosts were against Japan, where they were held to a 1-1 draw. One area of concern has been the low penalty corner conversion rate. In the 1-1 draw against Japan, India secured 15 penalty corners but converted just one. The trend continued against Malaysia when they converted only two out of 10 set pieces.

Despite this, Chief Coach Craig Fulton remains optimistic, stating that such bad days from set pieces won’t “stay forever.” He expressed satisfaction with his side’s ability to find the back of the net from field play and believes that the team’s penalty corner conversion rate will improve.

And since the performance against Japan, India has shown an improvement in PCs with captain Harmanpreet finding form at the right time. They were able to make amends for their earlier performance against Japan with a 5-0 thrashing of the defending Asian Games champions in the semi-final on Friday.

On the other hand, Malaysia has also shown a commendable performance in the tournament. They reached the final for the first time after knocking out the defending champions South Korea by a 6-2 scoreline. Despite their previous loss to India, they will be looking to turn the tables in the final. The head-to-head record between India and Malaysia since 2011 shows India’s dominance, with 11 wins out of their 15 encounters. However, Malaysia has proven to be a formidable opponent, having defeated India twice, while two matches ended in a draw.

As the final approaches, both teams are gearing up for a thrilling showdown. India, being the three-time champions, will look to grab the trophy once again. Harmanpreet Singh is expected to be the key man for the Indian attack, while Shello Silverius and Firhan Ashari will hold the key for Malaysia.

Irrespective of the result, the tournament has been the perfect litmus test for the squad ahead of the upcoming Asian Games 2023. Being grouped with Pakistan and Japan, India will take a lot of spirit from their performances so far in the Asian Champions trophy.