The Indian men's hockey team began its campaign in the Four-Nation tournament with a thumping win against France on Monday, January 22 in Cape Town, South Africa. Skipper Harmanpreet Singh led from the front with a brace as the Men in Blue proved to be too good for the French on the day, with Lalit Upadhyay and Hardik Singh finding the nets later on to cap off a brilliant outing for the Indian team.
Harmanpreet got India its first goal, two minutes before the end of the first quarter by converting a penalty corner and he soon doubled the lead in the second quarter with another drag flick. India's defence meanwhile was outstanding. PR Sreejesh and then Krishan Bahadur Pathak were outstanding in guarding the goalpost as they didn't let France get through even once.
Three minutes before the third quarter, Lalit Upadhyay through a penalty corner variation extended India's lead to 3-0 before Hardik Singh got his name on the scoresheet in the final quarter with a field goal as it was proving to be a proper hammering for France.
Next, India will be in action on Wednesday, January 24 facing France once again and then will be up against South Africa on Friday and the Netherlands on Sunday in a week-long tournament.
On the other hand, the neighbours Pakistan missed the Olympic spot for a third time in a row while the Indian men's team has already made it to Paris 2024 after winning the Asian Games 2023 Gold.
(With PTI inputs)
