Highlights India vs Malaysia Hockey Score: India Rout Table Toppers Malaysia 5-0

India demolish Malaysia 5-0 to top the points table. 

This is becoming a goal fest for India. Jugraj scores the latest. India lead by 5-0 at the moment.

Captain Harmanpreet Singh converts the penalty corner into a goal right before the end of third quarter. IND 3-0 MAS

India swell their lead further as Hardik scores in a penalty corner. IND 2-0 MAS in the third quarter.

Karthi scores a scorcher in the first quarter. India lead by 1-0 against Malaysia. The first quarter ends as the buzzer goes off.

Both sides are done with their respective national anthems. The match will begin soon in front of a packed crowd. Stay tuned for live updates!

India will look to get back to winning today as they line up to take on table leaders Malaysia.#HockeyIndia #IndiaKaGame #HACT2023 pic.twitter.com/8rk7L2SMEJ, — Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) August 6, 2023

Malaysia, currently leading the table and riding high on confidence, will pose a tough challenge for India. The presence of top goal-scorer Firhan Ashari, who has scored four goals from field play, adds further pressure on the Indian defense. The match promises to be an exciting contest as both teams strive to secure victory and consolidate their positions in the tournament.

"We will try to attack the areas that gave us goals in the opening game (vs China). We would also try something new," Harmanpreet had said. Next for India is Malaysia, a team which has surprised all with their performance, having trounced Pakistan (3-1) and China (5-1) in their opening two contests.

Captain Harmanpreet Singh now has the responsibility of ensuring that the team maximizes clear scoring opportunities and does not solely rely on earning penalty corners. Balancing the approach and taking advantage of all scoring chances will be crucial for India's success in the tournament.

However, India's over-reliance on penalty corners is also worrying, as players were observed refraining from attempting field goals from inside the box during the match against Japan.

"It's every coach's concern if you are not converting your chances, whether corners or field goals," he said.

The team's chief coach, Craig Fulton, expressed visible concern but remains optimistic that the team can reach its full finishing potential soon. 

While India's penalty corner execution was lethal in their 7-2 victory over China, with six of the goals coming from set pieces, it was a different story in the hard-fought 1-1 draw against Japan. Out of the 15 penalty corners earned, only one was converted by Harmanpreet Singh.

In their previous match against Japan, India struggled to capitalize on penalty corners despite having skilled players like skipper Harmanpreet Singh, Varun Kumar, Amit Rohidas, and Jugraj Singh.

Tournament favorites and three-time champions India will be focusing on improving their penalty corner conversion rate as they face Malaysia in their next Asian Champions Trophy match on Sunday.