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BHUBANESWAR: When coach Mark Hopkins found himself face-to-face with the # 2 Pitch on Monday, he was like a laid-back party-goer who knew that he could spoil his plans. from a fancy host. Twenty hours later, in pressure on the eve of the opening match of the World Cup in South Africa against India, his feelings almost confirmed him.
"We are probably one of those teams for which the opposition has fewer videos, we do not play as many test matches as the other teams, which has advantages," he said. -he declares.
There was no ambiguity in Hopkins' remarks: a relatively unknown South Africa can surprise his opponents napping.
India played for the last time in South Africa at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and beat them 5-2. For four years, the two teams did not meet, largely because of funding and support issues that blocked South Africa's international progress.
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"Our players have had to pay to come to the camps.It is we are lucky to have sponsors, but unfortunately, these do not cover the entire budget of the tournament, players may have to pay for the World Cup (trip), "Hopkins said.
The economic viability of India has so far spared the sport and its players from facing such a serious crisis. Most of them have jobs that allow them to play only hockey while keeping the kitchen busy at home.
However, for the moment, this debate can be relegated to the background. A World Cup match is waiting for both teams.
"We understand that the first game of each tournament is important, in that it releases 40 to 50% of the pressure," said Harendra Singh, a casual Indian coach, at the press conference. # 39; pregame. "We think in the same way and want to have all the points of our first game."
For starters, Harendra put a mark. "We will not compromise by playing offensive hockey against any team," said the coach.
One can find a relationship with that of India 's 5-0 win over Argentina in the first training match. But reading too much in the warm-ups is fraught with pitfalls. The real deal can be very different depending on whether the teams disperse or limit their thrust in the match simulation. Spain kept the hosts close during a 1-2 defeat on the other training match. It will not be a surprise if India exercised against the Argentineans more regularly and played with restraint against the Spaniards. Training numbers can not be considered as indicators of the actual tournament.
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L'India attack in this tournament will depend on changes made by Harendra to the game of Akashdeep Singh. He plays more like Dhanraj Pillay in the latter part of his career. The role of Akashdeep has recently been changed to become that of a liaison man. His late play, similar to Dhanraj's, helps him find positions that increase the chances of the ball entering the opponent's circle. In short, the ball becomes a witness pbaded between the midfielder, Akashdeep and the attacker. If this keeps clicking, the possibility of a scoring opportunity will increase. And to complete these changes, Mandeep Singh and Dilpreet Singh may well be the chief scorers of India.
The midfielder has somewhat lost its rugged nature since the release of Sardar Singh. Skipper Manpreet Singh is outstanding, but with only MP Chinglesana Singh, who will play her 200th international match Wednesday, will be a reliable substitute, the home team's midfield setup looks a little hollow. Simranjit Singh and Nilakanta Sharma won the World Cup because of their multi-dimensional play as offensive midfielder. The way they are used to surprise their opponents could be an badet for India. But this experience can not be done at the cost of compromising the midfielder. This could therefore turn into a double-edged sword. For starters, their main deployment may remain in the midfield.
Despite the absence of Rupinder Pal Singh, the defense bears a very solid look. The main tasks that fall to the native man, Birendra Lakra, Kothajit Singh, Surender Kumar and Harmanpreet Singh, are the responsibility of the local man. India will pray that the experienced Lakra is doing well to pbad the tournament without compromising his game and avoid a new injury. This will be essential to India's plan, even though there are quality substitutes in the form of Varun and Amit Rohidas. It will be interesting to see how both solutions will help reduce the pressure on Harmanpreet through penalty wedge conversions, probably through variations that Chris Ciriello would have added to the Indian repertoire.
For India, the past year has not been memorable. The Commonwealth Games without medals and a missed gold medal at the Asian Games is an injury that the team is still wearing, although Harendra insists that she is dead, buried and forgotten.
"Sometimes you make the wrong decision, even in life, while you think it's the right decision," said the coach about the mistakes made in the semifinals of Asiad against Malaysia.
"We all forgot the defeat of the Asian Games and you should also do it," he answered a question. "There is no need to remember it, we do not even talk about it now in our meetings."
The 15,000 people present in the renovated Kalinga stadium would like to believe Harendra because it is the third home hope cup for India. Odisha and Hockey India have put all their strength into making it a memorable event. Now, it is the turn of the team.
Pool C: India, Belgium, Canada, South Africa
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