BHUBANESWAR: Hosts India signed off from the FIH World Cup on a winning note for a joint ninth-place finish with Argentina, who beat Wales 6-0. At the Birsa Munda stadium in Rourkela on Saturday, India dominated for much of their match against South Africa before scoring a 5-2 victory. This is the worst finish by a host nation. Previously, Argentina (1978), Malaysia (2002) and India (2010) had finished eighth.
The home team could have won by a bigger margin, but the strikers, Mandeep Singh in particular, missed too many chances. That said, India stretched their winning unbeaten run against South Africa to 17 matches.