India’s chief coach Graham Reid was happy that his players ticked most of the boxes in their win over Spain on Friday.

“It was a good start. It is good to get the first game out and it is done now and we will now focus on the next,” Reid said at the post-match media conference.

“We got in front a lot today and that was very important. We were fast with the ball and that makes a lot of difference in this kind of games.

“There were not too many people who did not play well. That is what you need to win a World Cup. We need to continue that in the next game,” he added.

India will play England in their second Pool D match at the Birsa Munda Stadium here on Sunday.

The Australian was happy with the performance of young goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak even though he also has the experienced PR Sreejesh at his disposal.

“It is the way we have been playing. Both keepers have been playing fantastically well and I am very happy. They are pushing each other,” he said.

Captain Harmanpreet Singh, who missed a penalty stroke, was happy with the team’s impressive defensive performance. “We speak daily that we must be strong in defence because that is important and we did it. We cannot commit any silly mistake and all the boys did well when we were one man down (in the final quarter),” he said.

Aussies on the rampage

Bhubaneswar: Jeremy Hayward and Tom Craig scored a hat-trick each to hand Australia a convincing 8-0 win over France in a Pool A match of the FIH men’s hockey World Cup here on Friday.

While Craig scored three field goals in the eighth, 31st and 44th minutes, Hayward converted three penalty corners in a span of 12 minutes at the Kalinga Stadium here.

Hayward sounded the board in the 26th, 28th and 38th minutes from set pieces.

Earlier in the day, former Olympic champions Argentina were made to toil by world No.14 South Africa before registering a 1-0 win in the opening Pool A match.

After a barren first two quarters, Argentina scored the winner in the 42nd minute through a field effort from Casella Maico.

South Africa pressed hard in the first quarter but failed to convert their chances. Argentina broke the deadlock in the 42nd minute when Casella scored a brilliant field goal from Toscani’s pass.

In another match, a clinical England thumped debutant Wales 5-0.

PTI