NEW DELHI: India squandered numerous chances and were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw against defending champions Korea in their opening Super 4s clash of the Men’s Asia Cup Hockey tournament in Rajgir on Wednesday.The hosts dominated possession and created far more opportunities, but Korea’s resilient defending ensured they walked away with a point. Both sides now have one point each in the Super 4s table.Hardik Singh (8th minute) and Mandeep Singh (53rd) were on target for India, while Jihun Yang (12th, penalty stroke) and Hyeonhong Kim (14th, penalty corner) scored for Korea.India’s match was delayed by nearly 50 minutes due to a heavy downpour just before the start. Once play began, Hardik looked lively in midfield with his runs and dribbling. After missing a couple of early penalty corners, India finally struck when Sukhjeet Singh stole possession and fed Hardik, who weaved past multiple defenders before finishing past the goalkeeper.However, defensive lapses cost India. Jugraj Singh’s push inside the circle gave Korea a penalty stroke that Yang converted, and two minutes later Kim’s drag flick put the visitors 2-1 ahead.India went into halftime trailing despite several penetrations, with goalkeeper Jaehan Kim producing a fine save from Jarmanpreet Singh’s strike.After the break, Korea slowed the tempo while India pressed hard. Sukhjeet missed a golden chance from close range, while Abhishek twice shot wide with only the goalkeeper to beat. Harmanpreet Singh’s penalty corner efforts were also denied.India’s persistence finally paid off in the 53rd minute when Mandeep Singh tapped in Sukhjeet’s assist to equalise. Moments later, Amit Rohidas had a chance from a penalty corner but missed the target. Despite sustained pressure till the final whistle, the winner never came.Earlier in the day, Malaysia beat China 2-0 in the first Super 4s fixture. After a goalless first half, Syed Cholan converted a penalty corner before Akhimullah Anuar doubled the lead. Tempers flared in the closing stages with players from both sides receiving yellow cards.In the classification round, Japan defeated Chinese Taipei 2-0 thanks to a brace from Ryosuke Shinohara (5th, 11th minutes).India will next face Malaysia, while Korea take on China on Thursday.