Hosts India take on Netherlands in the quarterfinals of the men’s hockey World Cup on Thursday, having last played in the semi-final of the tournament way back in 1975 when they went on to lift their maiden title.
Here are the live-match updates:
India will be looking to maintain their unbeaten run after finishing on top of Pool C in the quarterfinals of the men’s hockey World Cup against Netherlands on Thursday.
The hosts last played in the semi-finals of the tournament way back in 1975 when they went on to lift their maiden title.
Netherlands hold the edge when it comes to clashes between the two nations, having registered a win in five out of the six clashes.
Indian captain Manpreet Singh believes that the past results certainly hold significance but stated that the result will be determined on the pitch based on the performances, rather than statistics.
“The past results matter a lot because Netherlands have a better result against us. But, we have played well against them recently. We have also beaten them, drew against them at the Champions Trophy. Indian hockey has improved a lot. The match will be tough and whichever team plays better will win,”said Manpreet.
Opposition skipper Billy Bakker on the other hand, stated that there was more pressure on the Indian team as they had to perform in front of a home crowd.
“The Indian team also has lot of pressure. They need to perform in front of their home crowd. So I feel the pressure is more on the Indian team than us,” said Bakker.
While the visitors are placed fourth in the current world rankings, India are a rung below in the fifth position.
Source: Zee News