Spoiler alert: India’s blockbuster clash vs Belgium can be ambushed by tricky New Zealand

Indervir Grewal

Bhubaneswar, January 21

They would have hoped for Sunday to be a holiday — an easy day of training and planning for the big match against Belgium on Tuesday.

Instead, India will have to endure an extra 60 minutes, plus shootout if necessary, before they can get to the defending world and Olympics champions in the quarterfinals. That is if they can get past New Zealand. The Kiwis have been struggling over the past year, but the form India have shown so far and their history with New Zealand, it is a big if.

Not much has been wrong with India’s defence, apart from a few lapses against England. As a unit, they have been disciplined; as individuals, full of intent and calmness. They only conceded two goals in the pool stage — both coming in the Wales match when India were going all out in their quest for an eight-goal victory that would have taken them straight into the last-eight stage.

Their inability to get the big win against a side that was eight rungs below them in the rankings again brought into focus their finishing problem. The issue has persisted throughout the pool stage, raising serious concerns whether India will be able to get their act together in the crucial knockout game. India’s attack has been working well. They were able to unlock the defences of all their opponents with considerable ease, creating innumerable chances in the three matches. But they have struggled to convert their chances.

“A coach will always say he is frustrated when you don’t score,” India coach Graham Reid said on the eve of their crossover match. “It will be more frustrating to not create those opportunities. As long as we are creating those chances, we will have a much better chance of winning,” he added.

In their opener against Spain, India found the goals so the missed chances didn’t weigh heavy on their minds. But the goalless draw against England put the strikers under pressure. The pressure was doubled by the need to score a big win over Wales.

“We have spoken about patience in the circle, about spacing and not crowding the area. It happens when everyone is eager to score,” Reid said.

PC conversion a worry

The strikers’ wastefulness is not the only issue Reid faces. India’s penalty corner conversion has also been woeful. Their routine has lacked precision, from misdirected pushes to fumbled stops to fluffed drag-flicks. Harmanpreet Singh seems to be trying too hard, indicating that the captain could be feeling the pressure. This is the first time in two years that he has had to answer questions about his drag-flicking ability. Despite the growing pressure, Reid would be backing his team to get past New Zealand. The Kiwis have not had a great tournament so far. They beat Chile 3-1, were hammered 4-0 by Netherlands before being stunned 3-2 by Malaysia.

But New Zealand have a habit of troubling India. They had stunned India in the semifinals of the 2018 CWG. The two teams also played thrilling matches in the Pro League last year, with India winning 4-3 and 7-4.

Reid said India would learn from their Wales match and not let New Zealand any space to play their game. “Just like Wales, New Zealand will have nothing to lose. I know they are fighters and I have total respect for the way they play,” he said. “I also back my players to stand up under pressure. When I first came to this tournament, I said we can beat any team if we play well and that’s still true,” he added.

Hardik fails to recover, deals India huge blow

Bhubaneswar: Injured midfielder Hardik Singh was today ruled out of the remainder of the World Cup, dealing a big blow to India. The 24-year-old failed to recover from a hamstring injury sustained at the fag end of India’s second pool match against England on January 15. Hardik will be replaced by alternate player Raj Kumar Pal. “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. They always say everything happens for a reason, and I am trying to figure out why, and it will take some time,” Hardik wrote on his Instagram. PTI