On Sunday in the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023, India will play New Zealand in a cross-over match with a quarterfinal position on the line. Earlier, England, who won Pool D with the most points, advanced to the quarterfinals by virtue of having a greater goal differential than Harmanpreet Singh-led India.
Team India will need to be alert and at the top of their game to defeat the Kiwis because it’s a make-or-break game. The team’s loss of midfielder Hardik Singh to injury has been devastating, but the Men in Blue don’t have time to reflect and feel sorrow. Shamsher Singh and Akashdeep Singh, two midfielders who scored goals in the last game, will once again be the centre of attention. India, who are coached by Graham Reid, will need to improve when it comes to converting penalty corners, as they did poorly in the previous game.
New Zealand, who came in third in Pool C, is ranked far lower than India globally. India is ranked sixth, far in front of No. 12 New Zealand. On paper, it could appear to be a straightforward task, but India won’t want to take anything for granted in a World Cup-sized competition.
The match will take place on Sunday, 22 January 2023, at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar at 7 pm. The live streaming of the match will be available on the Disney+ Hotstar app and website. It will also be on broadcast on Star Sports First, Star Sports Select 2 and Star Sports.