Kuala Lumpur, Sept 21: India smothered a spirited challenge from minnows China to score a 5-1 victory in their opening match of the sixth Asia Cup hockey competition here today. The fast-paced encounter saw India dominate the Chinese for the greater part of the 70 minutes though they were tested on a few occasions by their sturdy rivals.

Good ball possession and some excellent passes saw India score through defender Dilip Tirkey (5th, 37th) and Prabhjot Singh (41st and 59th). Gagan Ajit Singh was the other goal scorer for India, sounding the board in the 20th minute. For China the Song Yi scored the consolation goal in the 46th minute.

The win also helped India maintain a clean slate against China. India have won all the eight matches played between the two sides so far.

Though Indian coach Rajinder Singh was satisfied with the result he said his boys should have done better and won by a bigger margin.

"We gave a couple of chances to the Chinese. Our players especially (Captain) Dhanraj Pillay were marked tightly," the coach said. Score:

India 5 (Dilip Tirkey 5th minute, 37th; Gagan Ajit Singh 20th; Prabhjot Singh 41st, 59th) beat China 1 (Song Yi 46th).

Bureau Report