India in orange was quite an sight but on the field they showed their spirit as they beat Wales 3-1 in the FIH World Cup opener on Saturday. Though India controlled the match entire time, towards the end the Welsh side showed some urgency for penetration in the goal. But India managed to thwart them easily.
Right after the match, India captain Harmanpreet Singh said he was satisfied with the 3-1 win . For him the first match is important and making a winning start is always the key and get full three points.
"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. We played with that mindset," Harmanpreet said after the match. India captain scored a brace and was sharp with penalty corners. The Wales team though did not have any clue to the three goals that were scored off PCs.
"It was important to begin with a good win. We won 3-1 and took three points, which is a good result," he added.
Wales scored in the final minutes, but Harmanpreet said his team would learn from their mistakes in future matches. "We tried our best, but they also played well. This was only the first match, and we will try not to make mistakes in future matches." said the ace drag-flicker. India scored all three goals from penalty corners, while coach Craig Fulton has consistently emphasized field goals.
Asked about this, the Indian captain said, "Our forward line performed well and earned several penalty corners. Whether they score field goals or create PCs, goals are important for the team." On the Indian team's performance before the World Cup, he said that ups and downs were part of the game.
"Currently, the team's focus is on the World Cup and we are in good form, well prepared, and confident of a podium a finish."
PTI inputs from Amstelveen