Hockey World Cup 2023:  What lies ahead for India after failing to top Pool D despite 4-2 win against Wales?

The Indian men's hockey team were put to the test by a gritty Welsh side in their final group match of the 2023 FIH Hockey World Cup on Thursday, January 19.

The home side, who were aiming to beat the tournament debutants by a margin of at least seven goals to finish top of Pool D, finally managed to come through with a 4-2 margin at the Kalinga Stadium.

England, who defeated Spain 4-0 directly qualified for the quarterfinals instead by virtue of being the table toppers. The Indians will now have to prepare for a tricky crossover game against New Zealand.

They will start as firm favorites against New Zealand, who are currently ranked 12th as per the FIH. However, the manner in which the Indians lost their way against minnows Wales (ranked 14th) will worry Graham Reid and the think-tank.

Akashdeep Singh's heroics on the day made up for a lackluster display from the Indians, who seemed unsure about how to go about firing in seven goals after a barren first quarter.

Harmanpreet Singh continued to struggle with his PCs while the Welsh strikers unsettled the Indian deep defense time and again.

To make matters worse for the hosts, even though Wales lost their reserve goalkeeper Rhys Payne owing to a knee injury ahead of the match, Toby Reynolds-Cotterill played an inspired game denying the Indians from close quarters.

New Zealand have failed to make an impact during the ongoing Pro League season, failing to beat either India or Spain in the Hockey Pro League mini-tournament last October.

The Indians will, however, be wary of a team that boasts of names like Simon Child, Blair Tarrant and Kane Russell. Memories of their tragic semifinal loss at the 2018 Commonwealth Games will still be fresh.

While Harmanpreet Singh and Co. are expected to prevail over the Black Sticks on Sunday, the prospect of running into defending champions Belgium in the quarterfinals looms large.

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Which team could India be facing in the Hockey World Cup quarterfinals?

Two vital matches, both of which are to be played on Friday, will shed light on which side the Indians could be up against during the quarterfinals.

The team that tops Pool B will take on the winner of the India-New Zealand crossover game to battle for a place in the tournament semifinals.

Defending champions Belgium and Germany played out a 2-2 draw after defeating Asian challengers South Korea and Japan respectively in Pool B at the Hockey World Cup.

Belgium, who have a better goal difference of +5 as compared to neigbours Germany who are at +3 will face the two Asian sides on Thursday in order to determine which team tops the pool at the 2023 Hockey World Cup.

The Red Lions will take on Japan before Germany face South Korea, giving the Germans the advantage of knowing how many to score to top the group.

The daunting prospect of playing Belgium remains high as the hockey World Cup and Olympic champions will be looking to come hard against a winless Japanese side at the Birsa Munda Stadium.

The Indian side led by Manpreet Singh, however, held eventual champions Belgium to a 2-2 draw in the group stages of the 2018 World Cup and qualified for the quarterfinals while the Red Lions had to take the crossover route.

India's win over the Germans in a crucial Olympic Games bronze-medal match will enthuse the team in the event of a face-off against the two-time Hockey World Cup gold-medalists.

Irrespective of which of the European powerhouses the Indians take on (should they get past the crossovers), hockey fans around the world can look forward to a potential Hockey World Cup epic that promises to be played out in Bhubaneswar on January 24.