Bangalore, May 31: India, whose chances of remaining in the hunt for the title were almost dashed after their loss to Argentina on Wednesday, earned a thrilling 2-1 victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in their last match in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament in Malaysia on Thursday.

India renewed their hopes of playing the championship match after SV Sunil's goal in the dying minutes put India on the top.

Earlier, India went into the lead in the 31st minute when Sandeep Singh scored on the first of the four penalty corners it earned. Pakistan drew level in the 60th minute when their skipper Sohail Abbas, a veteran, converted one of the six penalty corners. Both teams picked up their pace in the last minutes of the game.

India, following this win, raised their points tally to nine, same as that of Argentina and New Zealand. Great Britain has eight points with a match in hand. India would have to depend on other teams' results for qualifying for the 1st-2nd spot playoffs of the tournament.

OneIndia News