Never wanted to leave field like this: Hardik Singh reacts to injury ruling him out of HWC 2023

The attacker was a crucial part of the senior men’s national team at the World Cup.

Indian men’s hockey team suffered a huge blow after losing star midfielder Hardik Singh to an injury early in the 2023 FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup. The Hockey World Cup is taking place in India and there are massive expectations on the shoulders of the hosts. Post suffering from a hamstring injury against England in the Pool Stage, Singh was, on Saturday, ruled out from the rest of the campaign.

The Indian men’s hockey team is under pressure to deliver a strong performance, playing in their own backyard. The fans were hoping that players like Singh would take the centre stage and guide the team to the title or at least reach the business end of the prestigious tournament. However, losing Hardik Singh came as a shock.

The message

Reacting to his inability to contribute to India’s campaign, Singh wrote on the social media site Instagram, expressing his disappointment. “Unfortunately, my dream of playing in the world cup ended due to a hamstring injury, and I never wanted to leave the field like this, especially in the world cup,” the caption read with a picture of an injured Hardik Singh lying on the turf with medical personnel tending to him.

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A post shared by Hardik Singh (@hardikrai16)

“They always say everything happens for a reason, and I am trying to figure out why, and it will take some time. It sucks that I can’t repay that trust anymore and add value to the field…But OUR tournament is not over yet. It's only really starting NOW,” he further wrote.

Plenty of support

Jarmanpreet Singh and Mandeep Singh commented on the post, expressing their support for Hardik Singh. Nilakanta Sharma and Vivek Sagar also commented among many other prominent personalities, wishing for Singh’s strong comeback.

Millions of Indian fans are also wishing for Hardik Singh’s speedy recovery. His teammates will aim to win the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup. India are to face New Zealand in the crossovers after navigating through a tricky group. Hardik Singh scored in India’s 2-0 win over Spain in the first Group D fixture at the World Cup.