The Indian men's hockey team will take on hosts Malaysia in their third pool game of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh on Wednesday (November 26). Craig Fulton's side will be keen to bounce back after dropping to the fourth position on the points table in the six-nation competition.New Zealand, Malaysia, and Belgium have 4 points from 2 games, while the Indians have 3 points. Canada has managed to earn a sole point thus far while South Korea sit at the bottom of the table with two defeats in two games.The Malaysians squandered a two-goal advantage against New Zealand, who managed to split points with the home side thanks to a 58th-minute equaliser from Thomas Dylan.Despite not being at their best in recent times, the Malaysians have a formidable line-up. The seniors in the India squad are more than aware of the prowess of Fitri Saari, Faizal Saari, captain Jalil Marhan, and Aiman Rozemi.While the Indians have struggled with their penalty corner conversions thus far, Faizal Saari scored the winner for his team with a scorching drag-flick against CanadaOthman Hafizuddin had an outstanding game against New Zealand and will not be easy to beat in goal.Meanwhile, it was baptism by fire against Belgium for Indian custodian Mohith HS, who is playing his first senior international tournament. After being beaten by a low straight Nicolas de Kerpel drag flick, the Karnataka lad bore the brunt of some sloppy defending by his teammates, with Roman Duvekot striking from close range.The Men in Blue go into Wednesday's pool game as the favourites, but will know from recent and remote history that Malaysia are a team that loves to spring surprises and has the talent in the ranks to challenge the best in the business.The start time of all the pool matches at the Azlan Shah Cup has been advanced by a couple of hours.India vs Malaysia, Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2025, Match detailsMatch Details: India vs Malaysia, League Match, Azlan Shah Cup 2025Date & Time: Wednesday, November 26, 2025, 3:30 PM ISTVenue: Ipoh, MalaysiaIndia vs Malaysia: Azlan Shah Cup PredictionGiven the manner in which Malaysia have played thus far in the tournament, a fast and exciting contest is on the cards. The Indian defence faltered on occasion against Belgium and will need to stand tall against the skill and pace of the Malaysian strikers. Jugraj Singh and Amit Rohidas have failed to deliver thus far, but will need to step up from the top of the circle if the likes of Dilpreet Singh and Abhishek are unable to breach the Malaysian deep defence.Needless to say, conceding too many short corners against Malaysia could be disastrous for the five-time champions.Score Prediction: India 3 - 2 MalaysiaWhere to watch Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2025 matches in India?The Azlan Shah Cup 2025 will be livestreamed on the Fancode app and website in India.