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Former Indian hockey captain and Olympian Viren Rasquinha praised India's strong 3-1 win over Wales in their World Cup opener, though he was disappointed that the team conceded late.
He highlighted the importance of penalty corners, with Harmanpreet Singh and Sanjay proving their effectiveness as all three Indian goals came from drag-flicks. The Indian men's hockey team made a confident start to their FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 campaign, securing a 3-1 victory over Wales at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands. "Good solid start for the Indian Men's Hockey team beating Wales 3-1 in our opener at the World Cup. Bit disappointed to not get the clean sheet at the end. Harmanpreet & Sanjay showed why PCs will be critical for to do well in this tournament. All 3 goals from drag flicks," Rasquinha wrote in an X post. https://x.com/virenrasquinha/status/2088606677524480135?s=20 India's goals came from Sanjay (8th minute) and captain Harmanpreet Singh (11th and 43rd minutes), with the skipper converting two penalty corners to underline his importance from set pieces. Sanjay also found the net from a penalty corner. Wales pulled one back through Sam Welsh in the 56th minute, but India's defence held firm in the closing stages to secure a 3-1 victory and all three points. India remained composed in the closing minutes and continued to create openings, with Mandeep setting up Aditya on the run, although the final touch was missing. India saw out the remaining time to register a 3-1 victory and begin their World Cup campaign with three valuable points. India will next take on England in their second Pool D match on August 17 at the same venue. (ANI)
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