Mumbai, Aug. 17 -- Hardik Singh dribbled swiftly on the left flank. He passed the ball into the circle where Abhishek collected it close to the backline. A quick and smart dribble later, he played a low cross across England's goal.

Dilpreet Singh, known for scoring great, if not always spectacular, goals for India was well positioned at the back post. Unmarked, he tapped the ball in to score the easiest goal he could have ever imagined. It was a strike that put India 2-1 up against England in their second Pool D match of the FIH World Cup at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands on Monday.

This was India's fifth goal in the tournament, but the first field goal. It suggested the team could score from open play rather than...