New Delhi: India dished out a pathetic performance to go down 2-0 to higher-ranked England and started their campaign on a losing note at the Hockey World League Final here on Friday.
The Indians looked horribly out of sorts as England rode on two goals from Adam Dixon (28th, 45th minute) to pocket a full three points from their opening Pool A encounter at the floodlit Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.
Chief coach Terry Walsh could not have imagined a more horrible performance from his wards in his first international match with the Indian team.
“We were relatively close. We had opportunities in the first period to change the match. We actually had moments (in the game) where we could have changed the game,” Walsh said.
“Our physiology was good but we were not that disciplined on the pitch. But it was a productive first step. This group of players has not played together so there will always be difficulty in understanding,” he added.
From the onset, the Indians looked rusty and seemed to run out of ideas when the ball was in their possession.
India’s attacks lacked teeth and they hardly troubled the England goal barring the two penalty corners they earned in the opening half.
England, on the other hand, were slow to get off the blocks but gained control of the proceedings and looked threatening as the match progressed. They looked far more promising in their moves.
Meanwhile, in the first Pool A match of the day, favourites Germany walloped New Zealand 6-1 to make a perfect start to their campaign in the eight-nation event.
The Germans scored three goals in either side of the break to earn three points from the game.
Germany scored three goals from penalty corners while the other three came from field efforts.
In Pool B, lower-ranked Argentina put up a spirited display to outclass London Olympics silver-medallists the Netherlands 5-2, while world number two Australia eked out a narrow 3-2 win over Belgium.
India will next play New Zealand in a must-win match on Saturday, while England will be up against Germany. (PTI)