Akashdeep Singh missing piece in jigsaw?

Indervir Grewal

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Bhubaneswar, January 20

At one point during the India-Wales game, forward Akashdeep Singh jogged to the sideline and was replaced by midfielder Jarmanpreet Singh.

It is not uncommon to see substitutions across different lines in modern hockey as players are expected to fulfil different roles. In this case, though, there was a specific reason — India were playing with one less player. Hardik Singh’s name was included in the team sheet for the game, but the centre-half did not take the field.

Playing with 17 players should not have been a problem for the incredibly fit Indian team. “We play at the Olympics with 16 players, so this was not an issue,” India coach Graham Reid said.

Reid, though, would have had to tweak his team structure. It meant Akashdeep had to defend much deeper at times. The 28-year-old was everywhere on the field, and was named the Player of the Match. Apart from scoring two fantastic goals, he also held control in the middle and was even seen making crucial tackles in India’s semi-circle.

Akashdeep’s performance would have put a temporary smile on Reid’s face but the prospect of playing the rest of the World Cup without Hardik would quickly bring back the tension.

Hardik injured his hamstring in the match against England on January 15. He had to be helped off the field, raising fears of a serious injury. Since then, Reid has stressed that Hardik’s recovery is on the right track.

After an encouraging MRI report, Reid decided to not replace Hardik, one of his pivotal players, and field 17 men for the Wales game. Reid would have hoped for India to top the pool and qualify directly for the quarterfinals. With India’s last-eight match scheduled for January 24, it would have given Hardik more days to recover. However, the two British teams of England and Wales disrupted Reid’s plans.

India will now have to play New Zealand in the crossovers on Sunday (January 22), which means Reid cannot put off making the decision much longer. “We will probably have to make the decision on January 21 as to will he be able to go further in the tournament,” Reid said. “He has been improving over the last three-four days. Each day, he is getting better and better, so we have our fingers crossed,” he added.

If Hardik does not recover in time, which looks like a certainty, Reid will have to replace him –playing a knockout game against a tricky side like the Kiwis with a man short will be a bold move for Reid. Reid will then have to restructure his team as Hardik’s likely replacement, Raj Kumar Pal, is more of a wide midfielder. The big hole left in India’s attack by Hardik’s exit will be difficult to fill for Reid.