India start hockey World Cup campaign in style, hammer South Africa in opener

India started their 2018 Hockey World Cup campaign on a thunderous note, hammering minnows South Africa 5-0 in the opener at the Kalinga Stadium on Wednesday.

Three field goals and two penalty corners helped World No.5 India register a comprehensive win in the second match of the evening.

Simranjeet Singh scored two goals (43rd and 46th minute), while Lalit Upadhyay (45th minute), Akashdeep Singh (12th minute) and Mandeep Singh (10th minute) slammed a goal apiece to fashion India's win.

The hosts will next face World No.3 Belgium in their second pool match on December 2.

On Wednesday, national team captain Manpreet Singh said they will try to give minimum chances to World number-3 Belgium in the next match.

"We will have to improve on some counts. In the match against South Africa, we got so many chances but missed. We will work on converting the chances into goals. Otherwise, it will be tough for us against Belgium, said Indian captain Manpreet Singh.

He said, "We will have to give fewer chances to Belgium in the next match and we have to focus on converting our chances into goals".

The match is going to be a high-voltage one as the winner of this contest is most likely to top the group and advance directly to the quarter-finals.

Belgium had earlier defeated Canada 2-1 in the opening match of the Hockey World Cup.

Indian team head coach Harendra Singh said a mixture of penalty corners (PCs) and field goals ensured the win for India.

"We will continue to put up a good show in the coming match," he said.