Hosts India made a perfect start to the 2018 Hockey World Cup with a 5-0 rout over South Africa in their opening Pool C opener in Bhuvneshwar on Wednesday.
Chasing their first title since 1975, India began well and scored two within the opening two minutes with Mandeep Singh and Akashdeep Singh finding the net as India got off to a breathtaking start.
The next two quarters went without a goal but India were still dominant and their persistence was finally paid off in the opening and final minutes of the final quarter. Lalit Upadhyay was at the heart of all three goals and found Simranjit Singh in the 43rd and 45th minutes with two lovely balls, from which Simranjit made no mistake.
Belgium had earlier surpassed Canada 2-1 in the tournament opener.
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