Wasteful India saved by Harman’s hat-trick in opener against China

It is quite easy to get captivated by Rajgir. Lush green fields, surrounding hills, the ruins of the ancient Nalanda university dot the landscape of this quaint little town.

- Sandip Sikdar

However, the decibel levels went through the roof here on Friday with a mix of Bhojpuri songs, firecrackers and cheers from the public as the Indian hockey team took the field at the Bihar Sports University Hockey Stadium for the Asia Cup opener against China. In the end, the 4,000-odd spectators, who braved the afternoon heat and humidity, got what they had come for — the hosts won 4-3 to start their Pool A campaign.

Seven goals and 60 minutes of end-to-end hockey - the crowd were surely entertained but not India chief coach Craig Fulton. The South African wants his players to continue their continental dominance but the Harmanpreet Singh-led side were nowhere near that, just about scraping past a side that is ranked 16 places below them.