Team India (Pic credit: Hockey India)
3 England in a crucial Pool D clash on Monday. After opening their campaign with a 3-1 win over Wales, India will face a significantly tougher challenge against an England side that began its campaign with an impressive 4-1 victory over Pakistan. With Pakistan awaiting them on August 19, a win over England would put India in a strong position to advance and provide an important boost to their title ambitions.
We will focus on taking it match by match and creating as many scoring opportunities as possible,” Harmanpreet had said, reflecting India’s approach ahead of the tournament. India’s ambition of winning the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup will face its first major test when they take on world No. Under the new World Cup format, the top two teams from each pool advance to the second stage, where they are regrouped into Pools E and F. The result against the team they have already faced in the first round is carried forward, making every point particularly valuable. “We have come well prepared and the team is in form. A defeat, however, would make the battle for the top two places considerably tighter.
The two sides had closely fought encounters in the London leg of the Pro League before the World Cup, with both teams winning a penalty shootout and earning bonus points. India will hope the three-day training camp in Switzerland before the tournament has helped them prepare for high-pressure matches.