Hockey World Cup: Team India is likely to face difficulties as one of the star players, midfielder Hardik Singh has failed to recover from his injury and has been ruled out from the tournament today. The shocking announcement has been a big blow for the Indian team before the cross-over match against New Zealand on Sunday.

The management has replaced the injured midfielder with Raj Kumar Pal as his replacement in the Indian squad.

Hardik Takes Social Media on his exit

In an Instagram post, Hardik wrote, “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. 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! Let’s go, boys!!!”

Hardik Singh Out Ahead his Injury

India’s midfielder Hardik Singh has been ruled out from Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 ahead of his injury. The player suffered from a hamstring injury which result in a great loss to the Indian team. Also, the player underwent an MRI last Sunday.

Hardik was India’s best player in their two matches against Spain and England however pulled his hamstring in the fourth quarter of India’s 0-0 draw against England.

If Hardik is ruled out of the tournament completely, it has been learnt that Rajkumar Pal will replace him in India’s squad of 18, experts predicted, earlier. Midfielder Rajkumar and defender Jugraj Singh were the two reserves named by Hockey India when they announced the World Cup squad last month.

Also Read: India vs Wales Hockey World Cup: India wins by 4-2; failed to reach Quarter-finals directly

Head coach Graham Reid on Hardik’s Injury

While speaking to the media, the head coach, Graham Reid said, “Overnight we had to make the difficult decision of replacing Hardik Singh in the Indian Team for Sunday’s match vs New Zealand and the subsequent World Cup matches.”

The head coach, Reid has shown support to Hardik, who had been incredible in the middle in both matches he played. The coach said while they would have loved to have him back on the field for the upcoming matches, being short on time prompted them to make a call on this overnight.