Competition in Asian hockey might not be exceptional but even by its limited standards, a 17-0 walloping is unheard of in the tournament.
The Indian men did just that to hapless host Indonesia here on Monday to open their account in the competition in style, bettering their own record at the Asian Games in the progress.
The previous highest margin for the country was 12-0, against Iran in 1974 and Bangladesh in 1982.
The goalfest started in the first minute of the game and continued till the end.
Experimentation
In between, coach Harendra Singh experimented with his plans and personnel and ensured everyone got enough play time to get a feel of the turf.
The experimenting saw Sardar Singh playing much ahead in the attack and creating chances while the two central midfielders Manpreet Singh and Vivek Prasad held back.
It may all change in the coming games, though, when the competition would get tougher.
India converted six of its nine penalty-corners. Youngsters Dilpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh and Simranjeet Singh scored thrice each, the last being impressive with a 100 percent conversion rate — scoring in each of his three attempts at goal.
Rupinder Pal Singh scored twice while Harmanpreet Singh, Lalit Upadhyay, S.V. Sunil, Akashdeep Singh, Amit Rohidas and Vivek scored one apiece.
