Having grabbed the lead on two occasions (1-0 in the 10th minute and 2-1 in the 26th minute), the Indian men's team fumbled in the end in their last round-robin match against Ireland on Friday.
Two goals in the first quarter by Gurjit Kaur (2') and Deepika (14') put India in a commanding position, while Poonam Rani's field goal in the 47th minute secured the victory for the visitors against South Korea.
For India to qualify for the final, they will first have to beat Ireland by a big margin and hope Australia beat Argentina and the final round robin match between Malaysia and England ends in a draw.
Two goals in the first quarter from South Korea's Seul Ki Cheon (12th minute) and Yurim Lee (14th) sealed a win for the hosts at the Jinchun National Athletic Centre.
In the first game, India lost to Agrentina 2-3 followed by a draw against England. In the third match, India lost to Australia 2-4.
India were trailing 0-4 after the third quarter but scored two quick goals through Ramandeep Singh in the fourth quarter to avoid a whitewash.
The South Koreans came from behind twice in the match but India had the last laugh as they kept their nerves to register a 3-2 win on Tuesday.
The Indian team looked in good shape as they made forays into the opposition half regularly and also defended well as a unit.
After one loss and a draw, India are currently placed fourth in the six-team tournament with just one point, whereas, Australia are positioned atop the table with two wins from as many games.
By virtue of this draw, last year’s bronze medallist India are now placed fourth in the table in the six-team tournament.
India are fielding a young team here in the absence of key players like Akashdeep Singh, SV Sunil, Mandeep Singh, Manpreet Singh and goalkeeper PR Sreejesh.
India last played against Argentina in the World League Final in Bhubaneswar where the hosts lost a place in the title-round after losing 0-1.
The Indian Team is presently in Ipoh, Malaysia for the 27th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup where they play Argentina in their opening match on Saturday.
India will meet South Africa on an opening match, Belgium on December 2. Six days later, they will take on Canada at the 16,000 capacity Kalinga Stadium, according to the International Hockey Federation (FIH).
In the previous edition, India had finished third after beating New Zealand 4-0 while Great Britain won the title after beating Australia 4-3 in the final.
The experienced mid-fielder exuded confidence that India can come up with a solid show in the season-opening event which also features England, Ireland and hosts Malaysia.
Manpreet, 25, said the CWG hockey competition is of a high standard with several top teams and his side would have to play their best to win a medal.
Olympic gold-medallist and former captain Gurbux Singh, in his autobiography titled "My Golden Days", has shed fresh light on the legend of India's greatest athlete, whose birth anniversary is celebrated as the National Sports Day.
With celebrated goalkeeper Savita rested for the tour, Rajani Etimarpu will be joined by debutant Swati to guard the Indian goalpost in Korea.
Sardar, who was part of India's Asia Cup-winning squad last year, has been dropped from last two tournaments - the Hockey World League Final in Bhubaneswar and last month's tour to New Zealand.
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