The Indian men's hockey team overwhelmed Ireland to secure a 4-0 win in their FIH Pro League match at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
This was their second win in two days against the Irish and their fourth in six matches so far in this leg. The victory pushed them to fourth spot on the table.
India started as the favourites and lived up to the billing by taking their chances. They didn't start on a dominating note but waited for their opportunities to score. The first goal came in the 14th minute thanks to sublime work by Nilam Sanjeep Xess. He collected an aerial pass, turned and dribbled past the Irish defenders to enter the circle. His first shot founds the far post but he got another chance on rebound and came up with a solid finish.
Ten minutes later, Mandeep Singh scored the second goal for India. It was a penalty corner variation with Amit Rohidas sending the ball in the way of Mandeep who deflected it in. This was Mandeep's third goal in four matches and he was outstanding throughout the match.
Four minutes later, Abhished added India's third of the night. It was a counter-attacking move started by Abhishek, who passed it to Mandeep and his reverse hit was blocked by Jamie Carr. The rebound fell to Rohidas who also went for the shot but couldn't beat the goalkeeper. The ball came back to Rohidas who then passed it to Abhishek and the Indian forward made no mistake in converting from a close range.
The fourth goal came in the 34th minute thanks to a lovely bit of work by Mandeep. Under pressure from two defenders, he found the perfect pass to Shamsher inside the circle and all the midfielder had to do was a simple tap in.
India had a couple of close chances in the final quarter but it didn't bother them much. India will next play England in two matches on the 24th and 25th, which would conclude the home leg for them.
You can relive all the action in our live blog, below: