Hardik Singh ruled out of Hockey World Cup 2023 ahead of India's crossover match vs New Zealand

The Indian men's hockey team's midfielder, Hardik Singh, has been ruled out of the ongoing FIH Men's Hockey World Cup in Odisha due to a hamstring injury. This unfortunate setback has been a major blow to the team's hopes of success in the tournament.

Ahead of India's crucial crossover match against New Zealand on Sunday, Hockey India released a statement announcing the replacement of midfielder Hardik, who sustained an injury during India's match against England on January 15. With the stakes high, the team is hoping that the new addition will be able to help them secure a victory and advance to the next round.

Hardik will be replaced by alternate player Raj Kumar Pal.

Talking about the decision made by the team management, Chief Coach Graham Reid said: "Overnight we had to make the difficult decision of replacing Hardik Singh in the Indian Team for Sunday's match vs New Zealand and the subsequent World Cup matches."

"While the injury was not as severe as the initial incident suggested, time was not on our side and after our ongoing thorough rehabilitation process and functional and on-field assessment today, it has been decided that we will replace Hardik with Raj Kumar Pal. While it is extremely disappointing for Hardik personally of course, given how well he played in our first two matches, we are excited at the prospects of Raj Kumar joining the group for the remaining World Cup matches," Reid added.

Having secured second place in Pool D with seven points, two wins, and a draw, India must defeat New Zealand in the crossover match on Sunday to advance to the quarterfinals of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 in Bhubaneswar-Rourkela. 

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