Ipoh (Malaysia): India's chances of entering the final of the ongoing Sultan Azlan Shah hockey tournament went up in smoke as they suffered a 0-1 defeat to hosts Malaysia in their last league match here on Friday.

India struggled to break down the opponents' defence throughout the game and paid the price around 10 minutes from the end when Shahril Saabah (51st minute) beat Indian goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh with an excellent placement off a penalty corner.