The men’s Indian hockey team gears up for a challenging match against New Zealand in their crossover game of the 2023 Hockey World Cup. The Harmanpreet Singh-led team placed second in their Pool after falling short of defeating Wales by an 8-goal margin in their final round match. After England, the pool leaders, destroyed Spain, India needed a strong victory versus Wales to overtake them at the top. In case you didn’t know, the pool winners go to the quarterfinals while the teams who finished second and third compete in the crossover games. India must defeat New Zealand in order to advance to the tournament’s quarterfinals.
India is already under a disadvantage going into the game. Due to a hamstring injury, India’s best midfielder Hardik Singh will not participate in the Hockey World Cup. According to certain rumours, Mandeep Singh’s availability is also uncertain because of a knee issue. The starting lineup will be revealed once the game begins, but coach Graham Reid is undoubtedly under pressure to lead a club that is both out of form and without important players.
Despite winning 4-2, the hosts in the Wales encounter seemed listless. India has to return to its best hockey against New Zealand since they failed to control the game for the whole 60 minutes as necessary.
