The Indian men's hockey squad hasn't faced much competition in Asia over the past few years. At the 2023 Asian Champions Trophy, Harmanpreet Singh and company, the only team to medal in the last two Olympics, easily defeated every opponent.

A month later, the world's No. 5 team swept the gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games, crushing every team by enormous scores. India won the continental championship for the sixth time in eight editions on Tuesday, defending their Asian Champions Trophy title despite not fielding their strongest team in the Chinese city of Hulunbuir. Just not without a battle this time.

China, the lowest-ranked club in the six-team competition at No. 23, made India work hard and go 51 minutes without scoring a goal, something that hadn't happened before the final. Eventually, in the fourth quarter, defender Jugraj Singh (51st) scored, giving India a 1-0 victory.