Harmanpreet Singh (Pic credit: Hockey India)

Harmanpreet Singh (Pic credit: Hockey India)

NEW DELHI: India captain Harmanpreet Singh was pleased with his side’s winning start to the FIH Hockey World Cup but admitted there were lessons to take from the 3-1 victory over Wales in their Pool D opener in Amstelveen on Saturday. We won 3-1 and took three points, which is a good result,” he added.

Harmanpreet, who scored twice from penalty corners, said securing the full three points was the immediate priority, while stressing that India would look to avoid repeating the mistakes that allowed Wales to score late in the contest. We played with that mindset,” Harmanpreet said after the match. “We played very well. Our aim was to create chances and score goals match after match. It doesn’t matter who is the man of the match or who is scoring the goals. We just need to score goals. “It was important to begin with a good win.

India look to tighten up after late Wales goal

India had established a commanding 3-0 advantage by the 43rd minute, with Sanjay opening the scoring in the eighth minute before Harmanpreet struck in the 11th and 43rd minutes. A review by the third umpire eventually confirmed Sam Welsh’s goal, reducing the deficit to 1-3. India had largely controlled the contest, particularly in the first quarter, when they established their 2-0 advantage.

Despite coach Craig Fulton’s emphasis on improving India’s field-goal conversion, Harmanpreet said the source of the goals mattered less than the end result. However, Wales managed to pull one back in the 56th minute after a scramble inside the Indian goalmouth, denying the former champions a clean sheet. The goal came after a lengthy deliberation following an unusual sequence in which the referee dropped his whistle while trying to retrieve it and missed part of the action. All three of India’s goals came from penalty corners, with Sanjay and Harmanpreet making the most of their drag-flick opportunities. Wales offered greater resistance after the break, but Harmanpreet’s second goal in the 43rd minute gave India enough cushion to manage the final stages.