A new-look Indian team paid for its inexperience and profligacy with Asian champions Japan soundly thrashing them 5-2 in a group A league match of the men's Asia Cup hockey championship here on Tuesday.
Having drawn against Pakistan in the opening game, India's chances after this defeat will be badly dented as even a big win against Indonesia in the last game might not be enough for qualification to the knock-out stages.
Ken Nagayoshi, Kosei Kawabe (twice), Ryomi Ooka and Koji Yamasaki scored for Japan while Pawan Rajbhar and Uttam Singh found the target for the Indians.
However, the younger crop of players didn't measure up against the Japanese, who looked more organised and hit India repeatedly on the counters.
India fizzled out in the second quarter after that initial spark, in the 24th minute, Ken Nagayoshi converted the penalty corner with a powerful angular drive that beat a diving Suraj all ends up.
It was in the 40th minute Japan made it 2-0 in a counter-attack with Kosei Kawabi snatching the ball from the Indian midfield and sprinting down the right wing running left-back Dipsan Tirkey ragged with his speed.
India found something going their way in the dying moments of the third quarter when veteran Birendra Lakra kept a powerful assist inside the striking circle melee and the big-bodied centre forward Pawan Rajbhar was in the right place to lay his stick for a perfect deflection that found the top corner of the net.
The final quarter once again saw the Indians going all out and conceding a goal against the run of play in the 48th minute.