Antwerp [Belgium]: India defeated Belgium 2-0 in the opening game of the three-match series as Mandeep Singh and Akashdeep Singh scored in the second half on Thursday. In a gritty first quarter, India were the ones who took the initiative early, forcing Loic van Doren into a save from the first penalty corner of the game. Very soon it was India's turn to defend. Krishan Pathak, who started the game in the goal, was up to the task, pulling off a smart save off a Belgium penalty corner to ensure the teams went into the break locked in a stalemate.

India rushed off the blocks in the second quarter and had a succession of penalty corners within the first minute of the period. The Belgium defense was at hand though denying them an opener. Despite controlling a large amount of possession, India found it difficult to find a breakthrough. The teams went into half-time without troubling the scorers. India kept the tempo up in the third quarter and forced van Doren into multiple saves.