India vs Wales Highlights, Hockey World Cup 2026: Harmanpreet Singh brace powers India to victory on Independence Day

That's it. India start their World Cup campaign with a 3-1 win over Wales, thanks to captain Harmanpreet Singh's brace. Sanjay scored one for India.

GOAALLL!!! Wales finally get on the scoresheet. Sam Welsh gets the ball over the line as everyone was scrambling. As many as five players were in the thick of action in front of Indian goalie Mohith. The video umpired ruled that the ball had entered the goal legally. IND 3-1 (Q4)

Wales finally get a PC in the final quarter of the game. Substitute goalie Mohith makes a brilliant stop to deny Wales any sort of comeback. IND 3-0 WAL (Q4)

India's tempo might have gone down in the third quarter, but the Men in Orange have the momentum. Meanwhile, no real chances for far from either side in this quarter. GOOAAALLLL!!! Harmanpreet Singh scores his second and India's third from a PC. IND 3-0 WAL (Q3)

The Indian players are doing pretty well in open play. They are trying to create chances and have converted twice from the five PCs India got. The second quarter ends with no goals scored. IND 2-0 WAL (HT)

Another PC for India immediately after the second quarter starts. After a beautiful injection, Nilakanta Sharma mistraps the ball, thus wasting the chance. IND 2-0 WAL (Q2)

Another PC for India. Harmanpreet Singh tries his luck once again but shoots wide. Meanwhile, an Indian player is down on the field, looks like he is Shilanand Lakra. He goes off the field as he is bleeding from the nose. IND 2-0 WAL (Q1)

GOOAALLLLL!!!!! Another PC for India and another goal, this time from captain Harmanpreet Singh. The Indian skipper shoots the ball on the left of Wales goalkeeper. India take 2-0 lead in the first quarter. IND 1-0 WAL (Q1)

India earn their first PC in the first quarter in the 7th minute. Wales make a great block as India earn another PC. GOOAALLLLLL!!!! Sanjay scores the opening goal from a dragflick, leaving the Welsh goalie with no chance. IND 1-0 WAL (Q1)

“Level down nahi hona chahiye,” (The level should never go down) captain Harmanpreet Singh tells the whole team in the huddle as heard on the broadcast. The game starts.

For the unknown, Wales have crowd-funded to travel to Netherlands and Belgium for the hockey World Cup. In come the Indian and Wales players. India players are in their new orange kit. Time for National Anthems. Wales will go first, followed by India. Jacob Draper of Wales is playing his 100th match for the national team.

“Our first priority will be defence. If we defend well throughout the tournament, we will be close to achieving what we have come here for. We have practised really well in that area. Whatever our structure is, full press, half court, low press, I think in all those areas, we’ve sat down for individual meetings and team discussions with all the players. Because when you defend well, situations will arise to consistently enter the opponent’s D. So, how to convert those 50-50 chances, how to do the receiving well under pressure, how to smartly produce an outcome in the D, whether it’s a shot on goal or earning a penalty corner, those things will be critical.”

The Indian team is determined to end the medal drought this time. Captain Harmanpreet Singh told JioStar, “The World Cup means a lot to all of us because after this World Cup, you never know what might happen. There are several senior players in the team as well, so for us, this is a great opportunity.

"We believe this is the right situation for us to show everyone what India can do and what capability India has. The hope is to bring the trophy home. It’s easy to say, and the journey will be tough and rough, but we are ready. The team trusts one another and our mindset is positive. Who scores or who defends doesn’t matter, as long as we win as a team. We will go all out.”

The India vs Wales hockey match will be televised live on Star Sports Select 2 SD and HD channels in India. Live streaming of India vs Wales hockey World Cup match will be available on JioStar app. The match starts at 4:30 PM IST.

India have an all-win record against Wales in men's hockey. In the four matches between the two teams, India have won all, starting from their first meeting in 2014. Notably, India's only World Cup game against Wales came in the 2023 edition on home soil in Odisha. The other three encounters are from Commonwealth Games in 2014, 2018 and 2022.

For India, experience will be one of their key assets. Mandeep Singh and Manpreet Singh are set to make their fourth World Cup appearances. Manpreet, who has accumulated an extraordinary 417 international appearances as new India record, will also be the most-capped player at the tournament.

Alongside them, Harmanpreet, Hardik Singh, Amit Rohidas, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Sumit and Nilakanta Sharma form a seasoned core capable of guiding the team through the pressure of a major championship. India's squad features eight World Cup debutants.

The tournament format itself presents a different tactical challenge. Unlike previous editions, the 2026 World Cup will not have a conventional quarterfinal stage. The top two teams from each of the four pools in the first stage will remain in the race to the semi-finals. Pools E and F in the second phase will have the top eight teams from the initial stage, while the remaining eight will be left to play for classification in Pools G and H.

The teams finishing in top two positions in Pools E and F of second phase will qualify for the semi-finals. Crucially, teams will carry forward the result and points earned against the fellow qualifier from their original pool, making every match in the first phase especially valuable.

India have been placed in Pool D, alongside England, Pakistan and Wales. They begin their campaign against Wales on August 15, before facing England on August 17 and Pakistan on August 19. The compact pool stage leaves little room for complacency, with every result potentially carrying implications beyond the opening phase.

India's preparations for the tournament have offered plenty of encouragement. The team produced an improved performance in the final leg of the FIH Pro League, registering notable victories over reigning world champions Germany and Olympic champions the Netherlands. They also twice defeated arch-rivals Pakistan and overcame England in a shootout -- results that acquire added significance with both Pakistan and England drawn alongside India in this World Cup.

Unlike the Olympics, the Indian men's hockey team have not been able to replicate the form at the World Cup. India have won three medals at World Cup, with the only gold coming in 1975 in Kuala Lumpur.