India kicked off their Asian Champions Trophy hockey campaign with a commanding 7-2 victory over China, led by a double-goal performance from both skipper Harmanpreet Singh and Varun Kumar at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Chennai on July 3.
Scoring goals from two penalty corners each, Harmanpreet (5th and 8th minutes) and Varun (19th and 30th minutes) led the way for the Indian team. Other contributors to India's strong performance included Sukhjeet Singh (15th minute), Akashdeep Singh (16th minute), and Mandeep Singh (40th minute). China's efforts were marked by goals from Wenhui E (18th minute) and Jiesheng Gao (25th minute).
India made a strong start to the match, earning a penalty corner just five minutes into the game, which Harmanpreet successfully converted. Soon after, India capitalized on another penalty corner, once again thanks to Harmanpreet. Despite early setbacks, China found it difficult to break through India's defense.
In the second quarter, India continued their dominance, with Akashdeep Singh taking the score to 4-0, assisted by Manpreet Singh. Despite China managing to score a goal soon after, India responded swiftly with a goal from Varun. Although China managed to score another goal through a penalty corner, India responded with a goal from Varun just before half-time, taking the score to 6-2.
The second half of the game saw India maintaining their momentum, with Mandeep Singh scoring the team's seventh goal. The final quarter, however, saw a drop in action as neither team managed to add to their tallies, despite earning several penalty corners.
India is set to face Japan in their next Asian Champions Trophy hockey encounter on August 4.
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