Men's Hockey World Cup 2018, India vs South Africa: 3 standout players from the match

India began their campaign in the 2018 edition of the FIH Hockey World Cup with a majestic 5-0 victory against South Africa.

Even as the partisan crowd at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar continued to raise the roof with their every move, the Men in Blue rose to the occasion and came up with a powerful performance.

Mandeep Singh began the scoring with a cheeky deflection in the tenth minute. A couple of minutes later, Akashdeep Singh doubled India's lead.

Goals rained for the hosts in the latter phase of the match as Simranjeet Singh and Lalit Upadhyay joined in on the fun.

Let us take a look at the three standout players from India's clinical victory against South Africa.

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#3 Akashdeep Singh

Akashdeep Singh scored a goal and created another

Akashdeep Singh showcased his value to the team with a brilliant display. The most experienced striker in the Indian lineup scored the second goal of the match and then went on to set-up Lalit Upadhyay's goal in the third quarter.

During the 12th minute, Akashdeep got himself into a promising position by evading a couple of South African defenders. He received Simranjeet Singh's sharp pass and converted the opportunity to a goal.

Akashdeep was at it again during the 45th minute. Far away from the circle, he delivered a rapid and accurate deep pass to Lalit who proceeded to slot the ball into the back of the net. India will be hoping for another special performance from the man who turns 24 on the day they take on Belgium.

#2 Mandeep Singh

Mandeep Singh ran rings around the South African defence

Arguably the most exciting player in the Indian team, Mandeep Singh displayed his magical skills to confound the South African backline. The 23-year old forward scored the opening goal of the match. Quite fittingly, it was his trademark cheeky execution which made the difference.

With around five minutes left before the end of the first quarter, India earned a penalty corner. However, the South African goal-keeper stopped Harmanpreet Singh's powerful drag-flick. Off the rebound, Mandeep nonchalantly scooped the ball past the keeper and into the goal.

During the 43rd minute, Mandeep managed to better his previous goal by serving up an astonishing assist.

Showing his deftness, he weaved past the South African defenders and passed the ball inches from the corner line. The lurking Simranjeet Singh duly pounced on the opportunity.

#1 Simranjeet Singh

Simranjeet Singh was named the Player of the Match

Simranjeet Singh took home the Player of the Match award for his stellar performance. He set-up India's second goal with a remarkable slice of vintage hockey.

Varun Kumar's deep pass found its way into the inner circle. He outclassed the South African defender and smartly deflected the ball towards Akashdeep Singh who in turn scored the goal.

During the 43rd minute, Simranjeet slotted in his first World Cup goal. Mandeep ran rings around the South African defence and unleashed a brilliant pass. Upon getting into the perfect position, he calmly pushed the ball into the back of the net amidst chaos.

Taking a cue from Analytical coach Chris Ciriello, India attempted a few variations in their penalty corners. During one such penalty corner, the ball found its way to Varun who took a shot at goal.

When the ball rebounded off the defender's block, Simranjeet showed impressive awareness to flick the ball into the net and scored India's fifth goal of the match.

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