India Thunders into Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Final with 14-3 Thrashing of Canada
Image Source: Internet
The Indian hockey team made a statement in the final league stage match of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, defeating Canada 14-3 in Ipoh, Malaysia. This victory secured India's spot in the final against unbeaten Belgium, the tournament leaders. In the round-robin phase, India had lost to Belgium 2-3, but this time they will face the same opponents in the final on Sunday. India's star drag-flicker Jugraj Singh scored four goals, while forward Abhishek and defender Amit Rohidas scored a brace each. Other notable scorers for India included Nilakanta Sharma, Selvam Karthi, Dilpreet Singh, and Sanjay. For Canada, Brendan Guraliuk, Matthew Sarmento, and Jyothswaroop Sindhu scored goals. The match began with a thrilling start, with India taking an early lead through Nilakanta and Rajinder Singh. Canada responded with a penalty corner conversion by Guraliuk, but India quickly regained their lead. The second quarter saw a flurry of goals, with India leading 7-1 at the end of the period. In the third quarter, Canada made slight modifications to their attack, leading to a penalty stroke conversion by Sarmento. However, India continued to dominate, with Jugraj completing his hat-trick and Karthi adding to the score. The final quarter saw six more goals, with India eventually winning 14-3. If India emerge victorious in the final, it will be their sixth Sultan Azlan Shah Cup title, having previously won in 1985, 1991, 1995, 2009, and 2010. This marks Belgium's first ever appearance in the final of the invitational tournament.
