IND vs NZ in Hockey World Cup 2023: Player ratings for Indian hockey team's miserable show in crossover match

A shambolic performance brought the curtains down on the Indian hockey team’s FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup campaign. While New Zealand are not minnows, their defeat of the Indian hockey team in a crossover match on Sunday, 22 January, should be considered a big shock.

Indian hockey seemed to be on the rise with their bronze medal win at the Tokyo Olympics. Now, all that good work seems to have been undone by this ignominious exit from hockey’s premier global event. The Indian hockey team had managed to reach the quarter-finals of the last Hockey World Cup in 2018. This time, they haven’t even gone as far.

Of course, the injury to Hardik Singh was a cruel blow to the Indian team. Hardik had been the spirit and the engine of this team. He was their best performer in the team’s first two matches. His absence took the sail out of India’s winds. But no top-level side should be so overly dependent on one player.

India’s other stars, many of them vastly experienced, failed to rise to the occasion. The last 10 minutes of the match against New Zealand were dreadful to watch for the Indian fans. The Indian hockey team lacked cohesion, structure, vision, and a plan. It was a painful exposition of how lacking in confidence this team is.

To better elaborate on this point, here are the player ratings from India vs New Zealand game in the crossover round of the Hockey World Cup 2023.

Jarmanpreet Singh – 5/10

Jarmanpreet was all over the field in this match also. But he was far from the effective player he usually is. Not only was Jarmanpreet unable to succeed as a defender, he too became very error-prone in the latter stages of the game.

Abhishek – 5/10

Once again, Abhishek didn’t rise to the occasion. This was his big opportunity. With Akashdeep Singh playing deep in the midfield in the first half and Mandeep Singh not on the field for much of the second, Abhishek needed to step up. He didn’t.

Surender Kumar – 6/10

Surender was very active against New Zealand and did have some good moments. But he didn’t assert himself against the New Zealand attackers, which was necessary.

Manpreet Singh – 6/10

In normal circumstances, Manpreet’s performance in this game wouldn’t be considered bad. However, considering the stakes and his experience, the former captain needed to step up. He didn’t and was also unable to run down the shot-takers on penalty corners as he usually does.

Krishan Pathak – 7/10

Amidst the debris of Indian hockey team’s failure, Krishan Pathak can be somewhat satisfied with his efforts. He was brilliant in the last quarter and made great saves to keep his team in the game. Even when he came in to replace PR Sreejesh after the latter’s injury in the shootout, he did a reasonable job. Nothing wrong with his efforts.

Harmanpreet Singh – 3/10

Harmanpreet could have put all his shortcomings behind him earlier in the tournament if he had scored on India’s first attempt in the sudden-death round of the shootout. That would have won the game for the Indian hockey team. However, he came up with a shockingly bad shot. Instead of engaging the goalie, he went for a wild hit from the top of the circle which was easily saved.

Harmanpreet was better with his drag-flicks in the first half, but not good enough. His defending was also below par. Overall, a miserable end to a forgettable tournament for him.

Lalit Kumar Upadhyay – 5/10

It should have been Lalit’s day as he was playing a much bigger role in the forward line with Aakashdeep sitting back in defense and midfield. However, after his goal in the 18th minute, he failed to create enough opportunities or threaten New Zealand’s goal sufficiently.

Neelam Sanjeep Xess – 5/10

Not a frontline defender yet, Neelam didn’t do anything special in this game for the Indian hockey team.

PR Sreejesh – 8/10

The one man who will stand tall among the Indian hockey team's players. Though his performance in the regulation time was not extraordinary, Sreejesh really stood tall in the shootout. He brought India back from the brink with two successive saves with the game on the line. He then saved the first attempt in the sudden death round, suffering a terrible injury in the process. He did his job, others couldn’t.

Indian hockey team's Nilakanta Sharma in action

Nilakanta Sharma – 7/10

Nilakanta played well for most of the game. He even almost scored for India before the goal was disallowed. However, he didn’t have any support in the midfield.

Shamsher Singh – 7/10

Shamsher was in fine form for most of the game. He played a crucial role in getting the Indian hockey team's first goal. But he too, like the rest of the team, failed to grab the game by the scruff of the neck in the last quarter.

Varun Kumar – 6/10

Varun gains a point because of his goal from the penalty corner. This has been a terrible tournament for PC conversions and so Varun’s goal means a lot. However, in defense, he was still not very visible.

Raj Kumar Pal – 7/10

Raj Kumar gained one whole point due to his amazingly calm finish in the shootout, both in the first round and the sudden death. The way the Indian hockey team's other strikers collapsed under pressure but his efforts are commendable. He also did a reasonable job in the forward line for someone just pulled into the team.

Akashdeep Singh – 7/10

Akashdeep did a great job on defense again, despite being a full-time forward. However, when he shifted to striker duties in the second half, there wasn’t the same magic as in the previous games.

Amit Rohidas – 5/10

Amit was again quite underwhelming. For a player who is so solid in defense, he didn’t seem to deter the New Zealand forwards enough.

Vivek Sagar Prasad – 5/10

Nothing special in Vivek Sagar’s show in the game. He needed to provide more energy in the midfield for the Indian hockey team but couldn’t.

Sukhjeet Singh – 5/10

Sukhjeet scored a goal that should have counted for more. But his good work was undone by his timid and lackluster show otherwise. He too, like other forwards, didn’t show confidence in overpowering the defenders.