Hockey World Cup 2023: India will take on Wales in its final Group D encounter on Thursday. While the hosts would be desperate for a win, head coach Graham Reid has asserted that the side will play its natural game.
India will need to whip Wales by a considerable margin to instantly qualify for the quarterfinals of the 2023 FIH Men's Hockey World Cup. However, head coach Graham Reid said on Wednesday that the hosts will not be preoccupied with that thought from the start and will play a classic game. With four points from a couple of matches, India is placed second in Group D and will face Wales in its final league game at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar on Thursday. England is leading the group on a sounder goal difference. India and England are on four points each after two games, with the latter ahead on goal difference (+5) as against the home side (+3).
India, though, will benefit from knowing what to do before its last Group D contest as it plays after England's match versus Spain on Thursday. "That [knowing what to do before the game] is fair enough, but we will not be fixated on it in the beginning. Doing that will be dangerous. We will play our natural game, keep simple and remain patient. We can wake up from there," Ried said at the pre-match press conference.
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Asked about the lack of goals, as India has scored just a couple in as many matches, Reid declared, "There is no specific reason for that. I would have been worried if we were not creating opportunities. But, we have been creating opportunities. The only thing lacking is the finishing. We are hoping that will come soon."
The Australian declined to disclose much on the MRI report of midfielder Hardik Singh's injury. Hardik had mourned a hamstring injury towards the end of the goalless draw versus England on Sunday and will likely miss the contest versus Wales. "His MRI report was much better than what we had thought of. We are hoping he will play in the tournament," Reid voiced.
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Asked if India would be anointing just 17 players, instead of 18, in the squad on Thursday, Reid articulated, "We will decide tomorrow." Skipper Harmanpreet Singh was questioned about the International Hockey Federation's (FIH's) thought of tweaking penalty corner hit rules to give more reaction time to defending players so that they are safe from the high-speed ball from drag-flicks.
Harmanpreet reacted: "It will be good if the PC defenders have more time. It will not affect the conversion rate as it [PC conversion] is all about timing [of the drag-flicker]. It will not be affected by PC defenders getting more time."
(With inputs from PTI)