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The Indian men's hockey team will take on South Africa in their last and final classification game of the 2023 FIH Hockey World Cup on Saturday, January 28.
The hosts had earlier lost to New Zealand in a crossover game, which ended their medal hopes in Odisha.
Following an 8-0 win over Japan, Graham Reid's team could now finish up anywhere between ninth and 12th in the ongoing tournament.
IND v SA match preview and details
Date: January 28, 2023
Time: 7.00 pm IST
The Indians, who suffered a shock 2-3 defeat against South Africa at the 2012 London Olympics, lead the head-to-head stats 11-1 while the two sides have also played out four draws.
A narrow 3-2 win against the South Africans in the semi-finals of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham is a harsh reminder that the team ranked 14th as per the FIH is more than capable of troubling Harmanpreet Singh and Co. who currently occupy the sixth slot.
Placed in a tough pool alongside Australia, Argentina and France, the African champions lost all their group-stage matches.
A narrow 0-1 loss against Argentina was followed by another close game against France, which the African champions lost 1-2. A 2-9 drubbing against the Australians ended South Africa's knockout hopes but coach Gie Cheslyn's team did well to wallop Malaysia 6-3 in the first of their classification matches.
The Indians will be wary of Dayaan and Mustapha Casseim, while Connor Beauchamp, Keenan Horne, and Nicholas Spooner will be the other South African players to watch out for.
Nqobile Ntuli, who won the Player of the Match for his performance against the Malaysians, has been in great form throughout the competition.
For the Indians, who were cheered on by a huge crowd at the Birsa Munda Stadium despite their elimination from the medal round, the last match of the Hockey World Cup presents an opportunity to redeem themselves to the extent possible.
Expect both sides to go all out and play an attacking game in Rourkela on Saturday evening.
India vs South Africa prediction for Hockey World Cup 2023
India 5 - 2 South Africa
India vs South Africa Hockey World Cup 2023 match Live Streaming details
India vs South Africa Hockey World Cup match will take place on Saturday, January 28, 2023, at 7.00 pm IST.
Star Sports Network has acquired the broadcast rights for the 2023 FIH Hockey World Cup in India. The match will be live on Star Sports First, Star Sports Select 2 HD, Star Sports Select 2 SD, and on the Disney + Hotstar App across the Star Sports Network from 7:00 pm IST.
Viewers in South Africa can catch the match live on Super Sport and the Watch Hockey app.
