India slumped to a heart-breaking 0-1 defeat to hosts Malaysia in their last league match as they failed to reach the final of Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament for the second consecutive year.
Needing to win by a two-goal margin to make the final after Great Britain had edged past New Zealand 3-2 earlier in the day, India failed to produce a cohesive game and suffered their first loss of the tournament.
Finishing with seven points from five matches, India will tomorrow play New Zealand in the play-off for the bronze medal, while the title encounter will be between defending champions Australia and Great Britain.
An Indian victory by two goals would have pushed the British team to the bronze medal game, but Malaysia turned the tables on India who gave a disjointed exhibition of hockey. Despite knowing what was expected, India failed to turn up.
After a goalless first quarter, India managed to earn three penalty corners in the first 15 minutes of the second, but Malaysian goalkeeper Subramaniam Kumar effected two diving deflections. The first half ended with no goals to show.
India showed more purpose in the second half, but their attack failed to offer any purpose when it mattered. Still goalless, India's desperation was evident at the start of the last quarter when they took off the goalkeeper and made Harmanpreet Singh the kicker-back.
The goalkeeper was back within a minute when Manpreet Singh was sent off with a green card. But as Manpreet came back in the 47th minute, so did the kicker-back.
Having an extra player added just a little bit of thrust to the Indian effort, but it was Malaysia that opened the scoring in the 50th minute with a penalty corner conversion through Shahril Saabah's measured drag-flick to the right of the goalkeeper.
Going all out in search of goals, India made three forays into the rival circle in the last four minutes and even earned two penalty corners, but the Malaysians stoutly defended their citadel and it ended 1-0 after full-time.