hockey
IANS

One of the most prestigious hockey tournaments in the world, the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2017, started off on Saturday April 29, with India -- the second-most successful team in the tournament, behind Australia, recording a 2-2 draw against Great Britain.

READ: India win BRONZE at Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2017.

The tournament is taking place at Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.

This time around, the number of teams have been decreased to six, with Pakistan and Canada not featuring at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2017, while Great Britain are the guest team. 

On Saturday, India's Akashdeep Singh started the scoring, but it was soon equalised by Britain's Tom Carson. Following half time, it was Mandeep Singh who brought back the lead for India, but again, the guests equalised via Alan Forsyth.

India, champions of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in 1985, 1991, 1995 and 2009, excluding a trophy sharing with South Korea in 2010, take on New Zealand next. The much-awaited battle against the nine-time winners Australia take place on May 2.

The teams play a total of five league matches, before the crucial encounters on May 6.

Teams: Malaysia (hosts), Great Britain (guests), India, Australia, New Zealand, Japan.

India hockey team squad

Goalkeepers: P.R. Sreejesh (C), Suraj Karkera

Defenders: Pardeep Mor, Surender Kumar, Rupinderpal Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Gurinder Singh

Midfielders: Chinglensana Singh Kangujam, Sumit, Sardar Singh, Manpreet Singh (VC), Harjeet Singh, Manpreet

Forwards: SV Sunil, Talwinder Singh, Mandeep Singh, Affan Yousuf, Akashdeep Singh

India's fixtures and results

Date Team A Result Team B Time Venue
April 29 Great Britain 2-2 India 3:30 pm IST Azlan Shah Stadium, Malaysia
April 30 India 3-0 New Zealand 1:30 pm IST Azlan Shah Stadium, Malaysia
May 2 India 1-3 Australia 1:30 pm IST Azlan Shah Stadium, Malaysia
May 3 Japan 3-4 India 1:30 pm IST Azlan Shah Stadium, Malaysia
May 4 India 0-1 Malaysia 6 pm IST Azlan Shah Stadium, Malaysia
May 6 Japan 1-3 Malaysia  1:30 pm IST Azlan Shah Stadium, Malaysia
  India  4-0 New Zealand 3:30 pm IST Azlan Shah Stadium, Malaysia
  Australia FINAL Great Britain 6 pm IST Azlan Shah Stadium, Malaysia

TV coverage of the tournament: Star Sports 2/HD

Live stream: Hotstar