Asia Cup hockey: India struggle to draw 3-3 against Malaysia 

India's stunning comeback was initiated by Vishnukant Singh in the 31st minute, followed by SV Sunil's goal in the 52nd minute and Nilam Sanjeep Xess' strike two minutes later. Malaysian Razie Rahim scored a hattrick (11', 20', 55'), although Pawan Rajbhar became the man of the match for midfield prowess. India is consequently in the second spot in the Super 4s standings, while South Korea scaled to the top after beating Japan 3-1 earlier in the day. Now that Malaysia has two draws, they are third, while Japan occupies the fourth rank due to two losses. 

India's record before the match comprised eight wins against Malaysia in their last head-to-head encounters. Unfortunately, Malaysia fought hard and conceded in the 11th minute. Razie Rahim, the leading scorer in the tournament, sent the ball towards the left corner and caught the Indian goalkeeper Suraj Karkera wrongfooted, which gave them an early lead. Despite their efforts to corner the opponent in the second quarter, the Malaysians did not budge. Instead, they attacked consistently and doubled their score five minutes into the second quarter, thanks to another penalty corner. 

Rahim and Hafizuddin proved to be the pillars of the Malaysian side while India struggled to hold their footing

Razie Rahim secured his 11th goal of the tournament and his ninth through a penalty corner. Before the first half concluded, India and Malaysia shared almost equal possession but could the former only found a single chance to score in contrast to Malaysia's eight. India was backed up by a strong midfield and attacking lineup that resisted the pressure and made various attempts to score. Still, Malaysian goalkeeper Othman Hafizuddin didn't let the game slip out of his hands before the third quarter ended.

However, India regained control over Malaysia in the fourth quarter and proceeded to take the lead in the 54th minute due to Nilam Sanjeep Xess' spectacular shot. India couldn't hold their lead as they conceded a penalty corner in the next minute, allowing Malaysia to equalise. Now, in the Super 4s, the teams will face each other once, and the top two teams remaining in the Super 4s table will advance to the final. The other two sides will compete for third place in a playoff match. On Tuesday, India will encounter South Korea in their last Asia Cup hockey Super 4s match.