Men's Hockey World Cup 2018, India vs South Africa: 3 standout players from the match
India began their campaign in the 2018 edition of the FIH Hockey World Cup with a majestic 5-0 victory against South Africa.
Even as the partisan crowd at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar continued to raise the roof with their every move, the Men in Blue rose to the occasion and came up with a powerful performance.
Mandeep Singh began the scoring with a cheeky deflection in the tenth minute. A couple of minutes later, Akashdeep Singh doubled India's lead.
Goals rained for the hosts in the latter phase of the match as Simranjeet Singh and Lalit Upadhyay joined in on the fun.
Let us take a look at the three standout players from India's clinical victory against South Africa.
#3 Akashdeep Singh
Akashdeep Singh showcased his value to the team with a brilliant display. The most experienced striker in the Indian lineup scored the second goal of the match and then went on to set-up Lalit Upadhyay's goal in the third quarter.
During the 12th minute, Akashdeep got himself into a promising position by evading a couple of South African defenders. He received Simranjeet Singh's sharp pass and converted the opportunity to a goal.
Akashdeep was at it again during the 45th minute. Far away from the circle, he delivered a rapid and accurate deep pass to Lalit who proceeded to slot the ball into the back of the net. India will be hoping for another special performance from the man who turns 24 on the day they take on Belgium.