Shock to the Indian team before the crossover match in Hockey World Cup 2023, injured Hardik Singh out of the tournament
Bhubaneswar. Indian midfielder Hardik Singh failed to recover from injury and was on Saturday ruled out of the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup. This is a big blow for India ahead of the crossover match against New Zealand on Sunday. Hardik was injured during India’s second pool match against England on 15 January. After this he could not play in the third match against Wales. Hardik’s absence is a blow for India as their frontline is already struggling.
If India beat New Zealand in the crossover on Sunday, they will face Belgium in the quarter-finals. Rajkumar Pal has come in place of Hardik, who scored a solitary goal in India’s first match against Spain. Hockey India said in a statement that Hardik will not be able to play further in the FIH World Cup.
The decision was taken after resting him against Wales and then assessing his injury. Commenting on the team management’s decision, Indian coach Graham Reid said, “We have had to take the difficult decision of replacing Hardik Singh for Sunday’s match against New Zealand and the upcoming World Cup matches.”
He said that Hardik had shown a strong game during both the opening matches. However, we are now looking forward to see Rajkumar play in the upcoming matches. He is expected to do well in the upcoming matches.
Please tell that the Indian team has come in second place in Pool D with seven points. The Indian team had two wins and one draw. Significantly, to make a place in the quarter-final match, the Indian team needs to win against New Zealand. Let us tell you that the match between India and New Zealand will be played on January 22 at 7 pm.
