Hockey World Cup 2023: Amid possible worst-ever placing, India takes on Asian champion Japan
Hockey World Cup 2023: India is out of the tournament and will compete in the 9th-16th place classification stage. It takes on Asian champion Japan, as the risk of the worst-ever placing in the competition looms large on the hosts.
FollowAlready facing a massive backlash after failing to make the quarter-finals, India could end up with its worst-ever placing in the 2023 FIH Men's Hockey World Cup if it loses its 9th-16th classification match against Japan at the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium in Rourkela on Thursday. A loss to the 2018 Asian Games gold medallist could push the hosts to play the 13th-16th classification game on Saturday against a yet-to-be-decided opponent. India's worst-ever placing and finish in the 14 previous editions of the HWC is 12th and last -- at London in 1986. In the ongoing edition of the World Cup, 16 teams were competing against 12 in 1986. While India may not finish last even if they lose to Japan on Thursday, the loss will take the hosts to their worst place, between 13 and 16.
India had crashed out of the ongoing HWC after losing the crossover match to New Zealand, ranked six places below them, in sudden death at Bhubaneswar on January 22. The hosts had squandered a two-goal lead on two occasions as the match ended in a 3-3 stalemate in regulation time. The Harmanpreet Singh-led side lost the shootout 4-5.
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During the 1986 HWC in London, the team led by Mohammed Shahid lost to Poland, Spain and Australia. It beat Canada and drew with Germany to finish fifth in the six-team preliminary league round. India then lost to New Zealand in the 9th-12th classification match and was defeated by Pakistan, returning home with the wooden spoon.
India will have to play its best hockey against Japan in the classification match, though the reigning Asian Games champions, too, have had an ordinary HWC here. Japan, who defeated Malaysia in 2018 for its first Asian Games gold in Jakarta, finished last in the four-team Pool A here after losing all three games -- against Belgium, Germany and South Korea -- conceding 12 and scoring two.
India fared far better, finishing second in Pool D with two wins -- against Spain and Wales -- and one draw (against England) before crashing out in the crossover game. Japan has emerged as a robust continental powerhouse in hockey, beating a full-strength India 5-3 in the Asian Champions Trophy semifinal in December 2021 after losing 0-6 in the preliminary round.
While a second-string India defeated Japan twice and lost once in the Asia Cup in May-June last year, the matches have been fiercely contested. India has dominated Japan with 26 wins in 32 games since 1932. Japan have won just thrice, with three contests ending in draws. But, under-fire India coach Graham Reid and his team will take Japan lightly at their peril. The hosts can take some confidence from the fact that they have done well at the newly-constructed Birsa Munda Stadium, beating Spain 2-0 and holding England to a goalless draw earlier in the tournament.
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Squads:
India: Harmanpreet Singh (c), Abhishek, Surender Kumar, Manpreet Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Lalit Upadhyay, Krishan Pathak (gk), Nilam Sanjeep Xess, PR Sreejesh (gk), Nilakanta Sharma, Shamsher Singh, Varun Kumar, Akashdeep Singh, Amit Rohidas (vc), Vivek Sagar Prasad, Sukhjeet Singh and Rajkumar Pal.
Japan: Koji Yamasaki, Shota Yamada, Yusuke Kawamura, Yamato Kawahara, Seren Tanaka (c), Kentaro Fukuda, Taiki Takade, Takuma Niwa, Raiki Fujishima, Ken Nagayoshi, Hiro Saito, Ryosei Kato, Ryoma Ooka, Masaki Ohashi, Kaito Tanaka, Kisho Kuroda, Masato Kobayashi and Takashi Yoshikawa.
Match details
Date and day: January 26, 2023 (Thursday)
Venue: Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium, Rourkela
Time: 7 PM (IST)
Where to watch (TV): Star Sports Select 2 and other Star Sports regional language channels - Also available in HD
Where to watch (Online): Hotstar
