Could have done better in last two quarters against New Zealand, rues India skipper Harmanpreet Singh

The Men in Blue finished joint ninth with this win over South Africa.

India defeated South Africa 5-2 to end their campaign on high winning back-to-back matches against Japan and South Africa respectively in the men’s hockey World Cup 2023. The Harmanpreet Singh-led side suffered heartbreak after losing to New Zealand in the crossovers. The hosts finished the pool stage in the second spot behind England and finished in the ninth spot (overall) along with Argentina. India now have hosted two consecutive men’s World Cups but has failed to grab the advantage of being the hosts on both occasions.

The post-match press conference was attended by India captain Harmanpreet Singh who shared his views on the entire tournament.

Thoughts about today’s match and the entire World Cup

India finished the World Cup in the ninth spot after defeating South Africa in the 9-12 classification match. The hosts failed to make it to the quarter-finals despite being one of the favourites before the mega event started.

Harmanpreet Singh opined, “Today we had a good win but looking at the overall tournament we have lost only one match against New Zealand. Apart from that one loss, the team has done a good putting in a great effort. The tournament has been good and we could have done a good job in the third and fourth quarters against New Zealand.”

Positives from the World Cup

Although India finished joint ninth along with Argentina there were few positives to be noted with the defence putting up a much-improved performance compared with their previous games.

The captain said, “Biggest positive is the team and they have remained positive throughout the tournament. We make mistakes whether we win or lose. It is not one individual who has lost or won, it is the team that has lost or won which is most important."

Is there any pressure playing multiple roles simultaneously

Harmanpreet Singh played the role of a captain, drag-flicker, and midfielder in the hockey World Cup 2023. He was captaining the side for the first time at a major event.

Harmanpreet Singh opined, “Pressure can be described according to the situations than the roles. Hockey has become a fast-paced game due to which there is less time to react to certain situations. The defensive unit has improved a lot in the World Cup and overall it has been a good learning and needs to focus more on the upcoming games.”

Did the absence of Hardik play a major role?

Hardik was by far the best player in the Indian team in the first two matches. He was single-handedly taking care of both the midfield and attack. His journey, unfortunately, came to end after an injury against England.  

The drag-flicker iterated, “Hardik Singh is an excellent player but hockey is a team game. A player alone cannot succeed without help from the teammates on the pitch. We are creating a good number of chances and the next thing will be to finish them and convert them into goals.”

What next after the World Cup

India are scheduled to take on Australia in the next set of pro league matches which is to be held in February and March at the Birsa Munda International stadium in Rourkela.

The skipper said, “There will be a 10 to 12-day break after which there will be a national camp. The venue for the camp is yet to be announced.”