Shock to Team India in Hockey World Cup, Midfielder Hardik Singh out

Bhubaneswar India’s midfielder Hardik Singh has been ruled out of the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 due to a hamstring injury ahead of the all-important crossover match against New Zealand on Sunday. Announcing this on Saturday, Hockey India said that in place of Hardik, additional player Raj Kumar Pal has been included in the team.

Hardik was injured in the match played between England and India on 15 January. Hardik was rested for the match against Wales, but has been ruled out of the tournament due to not being fully fit. Head coach Graham Reid said on the decision, “We had to take the difficult decision overnight to replace Hardik Singh in the Indian team for the World Cup matches. While the injury was not as serious as we initially thought, time was not on our side. After the rehab process and functional and on-field assessment, it has been decided that we will replace Hardik in the squad with Raj Kumar Pal. ,

“It is a bit disappointing considering how well Hardik has done for us in the first two matches but we are excited about the prospect of Raj Kumar joining the squad for the remaining matches of the World Cup. After finishing second in Pool D, India will need a win against New Zealand in a crossover match on Sunday to make it to the quarterfinals of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023. The match will be played at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar from 7 pm on Sunday.