Skipper Rupinder gets 6, Ramandeep 2 as India crush Japan 10-2 | Asian Champions Trophy
India might have not have won any medal in the Rio Olympics, but they impressed everyone with their hockey. It was proved once again as India played superlative hockey to a an easy 10-2 victory over Japan. India will hope for a similar performance in its next match against Korea and arch-rival Pakistan later this week.
In an upset in the very first match, hosts Malaysia beat Pakistan 4-2, evidence again of Pakistan’s recent decline in Hockey and other sport for that matter. Pakistan are the most successful side in the tournament’s brief history, winning two out of the three editions.
Indian men's hockey team thrashes Japan 10-2 in its opening match of the #ACT2016. #INDvJPN
— Sportstar (@sportstarweb) October 20, 2016
Rupinder Pal Singh was Japan’s nemesis tonight, hitting the goal six times. India, placed sixth in the world, are the only Asian team to feature in the top 10 of the world rankings. South Korea are second-best at 11th, followed by Pakistan (13). Going purely by rankings and recent performances, India is favourite to win gold in Asian Champions Trophy.
Full Schedule (All timings are in IST):
| Date | Time | Match | Fixture |
| 20 October | 15:30 | Match 1 | Malaysia va Pakistan |
| 18:00 | Match 2 | India vs Japan | |
| 21 October | 15:30 | Match 3 | Pakistan vs Korea |
| 18:00 | Match 4 | Malaysia vs China | |
| 22 October | 15:30 | Match 5 | India vs Korea |
| 18:00 | Match 6 | China vs Japan | |
| 23 October | 15:30 | Match 7 | India vs Pakistan |
| 18:00 | Match 8 | Malaysia vs Japan | |
| 24 October | 15:30 | Match 9 | Korea vs China |
| 25 October | 15:30 | Match 10 | Pakistan vs Japan |
| 18:00 | Match 11 | India vs China | |
| 26 October | 15:30 | Match 12 | Korea vs Japan |
| 18:00 | Match 13 | Malaysia vs India | |
| 27 October | 15:30 | Match 14 | Pakistan vs China |
| 18:00 | Match 15 | Korea vs Malaysia | |
| 29 October | 15:30 | Match 16 | 5/6 Place Match |
| 13:00 | Match 17 | Semi-final 1 | |
| 18:00 | Match 18 | Semi-final 2 | |
| 30 October | 15:30 | Match 19 | 3/4 Place Match |
| 18:00 | Match 20 | Final |