Flying start
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Hosts India start campaign on a bright note with a 5 - 0 hammering of South Africa
INDERVIR GREWAL IN BHUBANESWAR
Mandeep Singh celebrates with teammates after scoring India’s first goal against South Africa in their opener at the Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday. PTI
India were singed by the fiery, orange-clad, Malaysians on Jakarta’s blue turf three months ago. The shock on the players’ faces — after another notorious meltdown — made one imagine that they would have loved for the turf to swallow them. It didn’t, and the backlash they faced sent the team into a shell. They camped in Odisha, quietly hiding from everyone’s eyes.