On Saturday, India clinched the Asian Champions Trophy in dramatic fashion, beating Malaysia in the final.
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Trailing 1-3 at the half-time interval, India roared back in front of a raucous home crowd at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai.
Captain Harmanpreet Singh and Gurjant Singh scored in the space of a minute on the stroke of the third quarter, before Akashdeep Singh struck four minutes from time to seal a memorable 4-3 victory.
Congratulations to the Indian Men's Team for clinching Gold in the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Chennai 2023.#HockeyIndia #IndiaKaGame #HACT2023 pic.twitter.com/WKOMtymw81
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) August 12, 2023
MORE: India beat Malaysia 4-3 in final to win record fourth Asian Champions Trophy
Indian men's hockey ranking: Team India jumps to No 3
Apart from making India the record champion of the Asian Champions Trophy, the win in the final meant a rise in the world rankings for the Men in Blue.
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At No 4 before the tournament started, India overtook England to sit 3rd in the world rankings with 2771.35 points, behind Netherlands and Belgium. India remains the top-ranked Asian side, well ahead of Malaysia in ninth.
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands | 3095.90 |
| 2 | Belgium | 2917.87 |
| 3 | India | 2771.35 |
| 4 | England | 2763.50 |
| 5 | Germany | 2680.04 |
| 6 | Australia | 2544.71 |
| 7 | Spain | 2492.91 |
| 8 | Argentina | 2350.07 |
| 9 | Malaysia | 2041.37 |
| 10 | New Zealand | 1938.45 |
What next for the Indian men's hockey team?
The next big tournament for the Men in Blue is the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, starting on 23 September.
