Indian Men Hockey Team Cut Ghana to Size

It was the first international match for the Indian men’s hockey team since their Pro League tie against the Netherlands on June 19, and the Graham Reid-coached side did not show any semblance of rustiness as they rode roughshod over Ghana 11-0 to make a statement of some magnitude.

A first-minute goal by Abhishek set the tempo for the Indian men and thereafter the Blueshirts parked themselves in the opposition ‘D’ for the most part delivering with telling effect. Harmanpreet Singh unleashed himself on the Ghanian defence, slamming a splendid hat-trick – his third of the year. He was ably supported by fellow fullback team-mates Jugraj Singh who scored a fine double while Varun Kumar chipped in with one goal. Akashdeep Singh, Shamsher Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, and Mandeep Singh also found the target as multiple goal-scorers held sway over Ghana.

The Indian men leveraged the aerial balls to good effect and unsettled their hapless opponents and made the most of their set-pieces to cap off a good first day in office at Birmingham. But their larger battle lies ahead in the games against England and Wales. The 11-0 win would pump up the Indians for the next games and hopefully, they can build on that.