Hockey World Cup 2018: India vs Canada - 3 reasons why India won the match

#3 Did Harendra's words fire up the Indians in the break?

Can Harendra inspire the Indians to create history

In the match against Belgium, the Indians came back from the long breather and played as if they had indeed undergone a sudden transformation. The same bunch of players who were at sea against the Olympic silver-medalists in the first half, made their opponents look pretty ordinary in the second.

It could not have been a coincidence then that the Indians who were struggling to find their footing against the Canadians midway through the match, made short work of their rivals with two goals in two minutes at the start of the fourth quarter.

Experts are of the firm opinion that Harendra's words spurred the Indians on and got them to re-enter the pitch with all guns blazing.

While the magic words of an inspiring coach may well have got the Indians to the quarterfinal stage, the real test now begins as Harendra Singh himself pointed out after the match.

"A four-nation tournament has finished. The World Cup starts now."

A nation waits with bated breath as the Indians inch closer to a historic finish.

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Head to Sportskeeda to check out the schedule for the upcoming matches.