Hockey World Cup 2023: India settled for a hard-fought goalless draw against England in its second Group D tie in Rourkela on Sunday. However, Indian head coach Graham Reid was pleased to have consecutive clean sheets.
India could not win versus England in a significant 2023 FIH Men's Hockey World Cup contest. Still, head coach Graham Reid on Sunday expressed having successive clean sheets was an achievement for the side, which was "leaking" goals lately. India played out a goalless draw versus England in its second Group D match but stayed in the hunt for an automatic quarterfinal qualification.
"We have been leaking goals since the Tokyo Olympics, but now we have back-to-back clean sheets. That is positive from this match. We conceded too many penalty corners, but at the same time, we defended them very well," Reid said at the post-match press conference. India gave away 25 goals while scoring 17 versus Australia in a five-match series before the HWC.
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The hosts had also kept a clean sheet versus Spain, winning 2-0 in their HWC opener. In-form midfielder Hardik Singh was injured in the final minutes of the last quarter versus England, as he went down, clasping his right hamstring. He was later taken off the field. Asked about it, Reid declared, "It looked pretty bad when he came off, but I have gotten an update, and it is not as bad as we originally thought. We will have an update on that. We will see."
India gave away eight penalty corners and earned four. But, the Indians guarded the PCs exceptionally well. "At this level, when you are playing fast-paced hockey, it happens. It is always a concern if you concede that many penalty corners. We are going to try and make amends," reckoned Reid.
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"We have to try and do better inside the opposition circle. But, I am very pleased with the commitment of the players. It was a high-skilled hockey played by both the teams, it was a telling match, and both came off exhausted," Reid added. India plays its final Group D contest versus Wales at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Thursday.
Asked about India giving away many penalty corners but at the same time defending them very well, he stated, "England and Netherlands are very similar, and they attacked very quickly, and they would push a lot of people forward, and they create opportunities. But we defended very well. Our keeper did not touch the ball from the penalty corners."
(With inputs from PTI)