Next up for India will be the Commonwealth Games in April. India fielded a young squad in Malaysia but be sure that they will be full strength in Australia next month. Manpreet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Rupinder Pal, PR Sreejesh are bound to return. Stay tuned for reports and updates from the Field.in. Hope you enjoyed the coverage.

End of the game, India 4 Ireland 1: India avenge Friday’s 3-2 defeat against Ireland by beating them 4-1 to finish fifth in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. A brilliant performance by India today. Coach Marijne will be a happy man to end the tournament with a win.

After 10 minutes in the fourth quarter, India 4 Ireland 1: PC to Ireland, but they failed to convert. India stand strong. Just four minutes to go. They game is done and dusted.

After 5 minutes in the fourth quarter, India 4 Ireland 1: PC to India. Can they convert again? No they can’t. Varun Kumar misses out on a hat-trick with 10 minutes to go.

After 3 minutes in the fourth quarter, India 4 Ireland 1: Julian Dale pulls one back for Ireland as they get on the scoreboard. A brilliant assist by Shane O’Donoghue. No team has kept a clean sheet in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup yet.

After 2 minutes in the fourth quarter, India 4 Ireland 0: No slip-ups from India as the players head for an extended break before the final quarter under very hot & humid conditions. Some Irish players can barely run. A few players are ill and unavailable for the game too, meaning more workload for the ones fit. Indians look tired too but bossing the game.

End of the third quarter, India 4 Ireland 0: India are in the driver’s seat today. They have smashed four goals today without conceding even one. India with one more quarter to go will finish fifth in all likely hood.

After 7 minutes in third quarter, India 4 Ireland 0: It is all too easy for India today. Gurjant Singh makes it 4-0 with Talwinder Singh on the assist. A comeback seems highly unlikely at this point by Ireland.

After 3 minutes in the third quarter, India 3 Ireland 0: PC to India as Varun Kumar converts once again to make it 3-0. There has been a significant drop in energy by the Irish.

Here are the first half stats from the match.

End of the second quarter, India 2 Ireland 0: India with a two-goal advantage at the end of the first half. India will have to make sure that they don’t blow the lead now.

After 13 minutes in the second quarter, India 2 Ireland 0: Shilanand Lakra scores his third goal of the tournament. He was unmarked inside the Irish circle. He smashes it into the back of the net to make it 2-0.

After 10 minutes in second quarter,India 1 Ireland 0: A dull quarter this. India had a chance to score but Ireland’s defence stood tall. The Irish are looking for the equaliser but seems unlikely in this quarter.

After 5 minutes in second quarter, India 1 Ireland 0: India coach Sjoerd Marijne demanded more energy from the team during the break but the heat seems to be getting the better of both teams. India hold on to their one-goal advantage.

End of the first quarter, India 1 Ireland 0: A four-minute break quarters because of the heat. India with the advantage thanks to Varun Kumar.

After 10 minutes in first quarter, India 1 Ireland 0: A rather slow game this. Not much happening. They players are bound to be tired after yesterday’s high speed game.

After 5 minutes in first quarter, India 1 Ireland 0: Penalty corner to India. First of the match. Sardar Singh injects but Amit Rohidas fails to convert. However, they get a second chance and Varun Kumar finally scores to give India the lead.

12:50pm: India will be hurting from yesterday’s defeat. Read our analysis report here on what exactly transpired.

12:45 pm: Hello and welcome to The Field’s live blog of India vs Ireland at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament in Ipoh, Malaysia. Sardar Singh-led India are playing their last match in the tournament. They are fighting it out in a playoff for the 5th-6th spot. Ireland will be high on confidence as they stunned India 3-2 on Friday. India will now play for pride and look to finish on a high. The match begins at 1:00pm IST.