Abhishek (5th), Harmanpreet Singh (12th), Shamsher Singh (45th), Akashdeep Singh (49th), and Sukhjeet Singh (59th) scored for India, while Samkelo Mvimbi (49th) and Mustaphaa Cassiem (60th) scored for the fourteenth-ranked team in the world.
India had defeated South Africa in each of their three meetings in 2022. India have not lost to South Africa since the London Olympics in 2012.
In the final match of this World Cup at the new Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium, India scored the opening goal when Harmanpreet’s pass into the attacking circle found Abhishek, who collected the fast ball with ease and blasted it into the goal.
Harmanpreet finished the first quarter by drag-flicking the ball into the goal to give India a 2-0 lead.
After a scoreless second quarter, the 21,800 spectators had to wait until the end of the third quarter to witness India’s third goal, which was scored by Shamsher with a deft touch off a pass from Abhishek.
A few minutes into the fourth quarter, Raj Kumar Pal passed the ball to Jarmanpreet Singh, who in turn passed it to Akashdeep, who scored his third World Cup goal.
It was Mandeep Singh’s 200th international appearance.
This is the worst performance by a World Cup host nation. Argentina finished eighth in Buenos Aires in 1978, Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur in 2002, and India in New Delhi in 2010.
