9th Men’s Asia Cup: Mandeep, rookie Ramandeep dazzle as India pound Oman 8-0

FILE PHOTO: Mandeep Singh starred in the win against Oman

The Indian senior men’s hockey team overcame a sloppy start to settle in their usual groove and walloped minnows Oman 8-0 in the lung-opener of the 9th Asia Cup hockey tournament being played at the Sultan Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh.

India four goals in each half to cap off a comprehensive win.

Playing on a muggy day, the Blueshirts enjoyed the lion’s share of the possession from the outset, but loose passing and lack of cohesion was the order of the day in the early stages.

India did force an early penalty corner, which resulted into a follow-on short corner from which nippy Mandeep Singh gave his side the lead much to the relief of his team-mates.

The Indians seemed to run out of ideas when they entered the Oman 25-yard line, but the early goal pepped them up and injected more penetration in their attacks.

Debutant Ramandeep Singh hogged the limelight when he slapped home a precise Malak Singh pass.

Vokkaliga Raghunath and Amit Rohidas muffed up the third and fourth short corners as Oman looked like keeping India at bay.

Ramandeep Singh was again in the thick of action as he earned a penalty stroke after he was obstructed by an Oman defender.

Vokkaliga Raghunath made up for his earlier short corner miss with a clinical conversion.

India scored another through Rupinder Pal Singh close to half-time – it was the first PC conversion out of five attempts then.

India finished 4-0 at the break.

Mandeep Singh got his second goal and India’s sixth in the 40th minute before Amritsar boy Ramandeep Singh got his name on the scoresheet for the second time after he made the most of a superb solo run from the left by Mandeep Singh.

Four minutes later, it was another combined effort from Ramandeep Singh and Malak Singh, which resulted in the seventh goal with the latter providing the finishing touches.

India rested vice-captain and regular goalkeeper PR Sreejesh and inducted PT Rao as the result of the match was very much a foregone conclusion.

India frittered away their sixth penalty corner when captain Sardar Singh, who took the field after recovering from high fever and throat infection, failed to inject the ball properly, leading to the opportunity being wasted.

Comeback lad SK Uthappa, playing in the midfield position, hammered the final nail in the Oman coffin slamming the eight goal in the final minute of play.

This was India’s was third straight win over Oman in recent meetings. They had crushed them 9-1 in the Hockey World League Round 3 event in New Delhi and 11-0 in the 2012 Asian Champions Trophy in Doha.

India next play defending champions Korea on Monday.