A day before their semifinal encounter against New Zealand, India has suffered a devastating injury. Hardik Singh, who suffered a hamstring injury while playing for India against England, has been ruled out of the competition.
According to a statement from Hockey India, Hardik has been ruled out of the Hockey World Cup. “The kid was rested for the match against Wales, and subsequent evaluations have ruled him out of the tournament.”
Replacement player Raj Kumar Pal will replace Hardik.
“Overnight, we were forced to make the tough decision to replace Hardik Singh in the Indian team for Sunday’s encounter against New Zealand and the remaining World Cup matches,” said head coach Graham Reid.
“While the injury was not as bad as the original event suggested, time was not on our side, and after our ongoing recovery process and functional and on-field assessment today, it was determined that Raj Kumar Pal will replace Hardik. While it is really unfortunate for Hardik personally, given how brilliantly he played in our first two World Cup matches, we are pleased about the possibility of Raj Kumar joining the team for the remainder of the tournament,” Reid said.
Having finished second in Pool D, India must defeat New Zealand on Sunday in the crossover match to advance to the quarterfinals.
New Zealand will face India on January 22.
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