Defending champions New Zealand defeated India 2-1 on Wednesday in Ipoh, Malaysia, in their Sultan Azlan Shah Cup round-robin league match. The defeat dealt a blow to India's chances of qualifying for the final, as they slipped to third place, with New Zealand taking the second spot behind Australia.

India came into the match fresh after hammering arch-rivals Pakistan 5-1 in their previous game, but failed to replicate their form. The five-time champions conceded the lead in the 28th minute with a goal from Ken Russell, but managed to to equalise eight minutes later via Mandeep Singh. However, some shoddy defending by the Indian team led to New Zealand's Nick Wilson scoring the winner in the 41st minute.

Despite making some chances, India failed to capitalise and ended on the losing side. They are now on nine points from five games and will have to defeat Malaysia in their last league game to book a spot in the final.