Hockey World Cup 2018: India vs South Africa- 3 reasons why India won the match

Akashdeep - the link-man of the Indian team

#3 Total hockey on display

Chinnglensana earned his 200th cap against the South Africans

Mark Hopkins' boys failed to score - but it wasn't as if the South Africans failed to advance. On several occasions, Tim Drummond and co. managed to break forward following turnovers just after the Indian strikers had attempted to get a shot in.

Yet, the men up front scampered to the other end of the pitch every time the South Africans managed to cross the half-line as a result of which the Indian defence was never under great pressure.

Harmanpreet Singh was seen in an attacking role as he ventured deep into the South African territory and displayed his feeding skills up front. Chinglensana Singh, playing his 200th international was seeing advancing and falling back based on the demand of the situation.

The team selection revolved around selecting players who could perform in any position and if the opening match is anything to go by, the concept of total hockey is paying rich dividends.

Head to Sportskeeda to check out the Hockey World Cup schedule for the upcoming matches.

About the author

Subhashish has been an Indian sports journalist at Sportskeeda since 2017. He primarily covers hockey along with other Indian Sports, and endeavors to bridge the coverage gap between the multitude of Indian sports and cricket via his articles. Subhashish’s interest in Indian sports peaked after watching a few hockey and football matches live during his childhood days, and has also played Hockey, Football, Table Tennis, Badminton at school and college level.

As a journalist, he covered every single Indian hockey match at the 2018 & 2022 Commonwealth Games, 2018 & 2023 Asian Games, 2018 Women's World Cup, 2018 & 2023 Men’s World Cup and the 2021 Olympics. An interview specialist, he has conducted over 100 interviews with the Indian Men's and Women's Hockey team, and has also been part of the UK-based DesiSportsCast Podcast.

Subhashish’s favorite Indian athlete is Vandana Katariya for her relentlessness and never-say-die attitude. For him, India men's hockey team's 7-1 win over Pakistan in 2017 Hockey World League semis on the same day as India men's cricket team's loss to the same opponent in the Champions Trophy final is an iconic moment in Indian Sports history.

When not writing, he likes to spend his free time blogging, singing, jogging, and trekking.

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Edited by Kishan Prasad