New Delhi: Strikers Deepak Thakur and Baljit Singh Dhillon scored a brace each as the India blanked the lowly US 7-0 in the first of their two friendly matches at Moorpark College, California on Saturday.

The Indians, for whom the matches would be the last phase of their Olympic preparations in the country, did not have to push hard against their 24th ranked opponents, consisting of members of the national senior and junior teams.

The visitors made mincemeat of their opposition with four first half goals and added three more to the tally after the break. Five of them were field goals while the other two come through penalty corners, according to information received here. Thakur and Dhillon scored four of the five field goals while Gagan Ajit Singh’s sounded the board off a rebound for the fifth one.

The two penalty corners were converted by Kanwalpreet Singh and Dilip Tirkey. The Indians would play the last friendly on Sunday. (PTI)