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The Indian men’s hockey team is off to a great start in the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup which started on Friday, 13 January. The home side defeated Spain 2-0 in a packed Birsa Munda Stadium in Rourkela, Odisha.
Coach Graham Reid’s team was in great form as they excelled in both their aggressive manoeuvres as well as their defense robustness. Though the Spanish team might not have played at their best and they aren’t the leading contenders for the title, this win will give India the kind of boost needed at the start of a major tournament.
To further analyze the Indian team’s performance, let’s look at individual players and how they fared in the match. Amit Rohidas, from Odisha itself, had a great day as he scored a goal and also won the Man of the Match award. But he wasn’t the only one to excel.
Here are the player ratings for the Indian team from their opening Hockey World Cup 2023 match.
Jarmanpreet Singh - 8/10
Jarmanpreet Singh has established himself as one of India’s most important players with his intensive work all over the field. He was once again impressive on Friday as the towering defender played a key role for his side both in defense as well as when playing forward. He made crucial tackles and provided decent supply to the forward line as well.
Abhishek - 5/10
Abhishek didn’t have the best of games as he failed to make a big mark in the forward line and also got a 10-minute suspension in the tense last quarter. To be fair, the yellow card given to him was highly questionable. Still, he didn’t feature as much in India’s attacking moves as he would have wanted.
Surender Kumar - 7/10
The Indian defense was on song today and Surender played a key role in it. He, along with other defenders, kept calm in tense moments and used their tackling in interception to stop Spain from getting close to the Indian goal.
Manpreet Singh - 6/10
The Olympic bronze-winning captain has seen an upstaging of himself since the Tokyo Games. He was active in the midfield in this game but didn’t make as big an impact as he would have wanted.
Hardik Singh - 8/10
A strong contender for the Man of the Match award, Hardik performed brilliantly on Friday. He was India's biggest playmaker in the midfield and scored a stunning goal to double his team’s lead, albeit through a slice of luck.
Mandeep Singh - 7/10
Though Mandeep failed to find a place on the scorecard, his intensity in the forward line kept up the pressure on Spain. He didn’t just wait in the circle for opportunities but was involved in creating them, which is a good improvement over the last few matches.
Krishan B Pathak - 7/10
Continuing his emergence as India’s leading goalkeeper, Krishan B Pathak enjoyed another good outing. India alternated their goalkeepers through the quarters and Pathak was the custodian in the second and fourth. He made two crucial saves on penalty corners and was alert all the time.
Harmanpreet Singh - 3/10
The captain had an off-day as none of his drag-flicks went into the net. To make his time worse, he also missed a penalty stroke. Harmanpreet is among the best drag-flickers in the world and is likely to make a strong comeback.
Lalit Kumar Upadhyay - 7/10
Lalit was very active in India’s forward runs and worked beautifully with Akashdeep Singh and Mandeep. He would like to be a little more accurate but it’s a good start.
Nilam Sanjeep Xess - 4/10
Nilam didn’t get enough time in the game and couldn’t make much of an impression on Friday.
PR Sreejesh - 5/10
The veteran goalkeeper got upstaged by his understudy in the game. To be fair, he didn’t have much of a challenge in the two quarters that he protected the goal.
Nilakanta Sharma - 7/10
Alongside Hardik, Nilakanta was another brilliant presence in the midfield. Though he wasn’t always able to make accurate passes, he kept the supply line open for the forwards.
Shamsher Singh - 6/10
Shamsher missed a golden opportunity to score in the match but was put off by a deflection. His overall presence in the forward line was useful to India in the match.
Varun Kumar - 6/10
While not individually very visible, Varun was part of a collective effort to keep the Spanish team from scoring.
Akashdeep Singh - 7/10
After regaining his form on the tour of Australia, Akashdeep continued his good work for the team. He, along with Mandeep, was the biggest threat to the opposition. He was also very quick to fall back and help the midfield when necessary.
Amit Rohidas - 8/10
Now a midfielder, the former captain was given a well-deserved Man of the Match award. His goal gave India the lead and he also proved to be a vital presence in the defense. His skills proved key to keeping India ahead.
Vivek Sagar Prasad - 7/10
The midfielder from Madhya Pradesh was impressive and outdid Manpreet Singh with his work in the midfield. He will be a key player for India going forward.
Sukhjeet Singh - 6/10
Sukhjeet showed flashes of brilliance but needed more consistency to play a bigger part. Perhaps, he will be given a greater role in the matches to come by the team management.
