Team India have not fared badly at the ongoing hockey World Cup in Odisha so far, but they still find themselves in a tricky spot. The Harmanpreet Singh-led side that beat Spain 2-0 followed by a goalless draw against England, need to beat Wales by a big margin in their last Pool ‘D’ match at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Thursday in order to top their group for a direct quarter-final berth. As per the tournament’s format, the second and third-placed teams in each of the four groups of the 16-team event have to play Crossover matches. 

Hockey India President and former skipper Dilip Tirkey understands the challenge at hand for the World No.5 Indians. “It’s tough to win any World Cup match, and here we have to win with more goals, so that makes it even more challenging,” Tirkey, who was elected to the Hockey India top job in September and has been in the forefront in organising the 15th edition of hockey’s showpiece event in his home state, told mid-day on Wednesday.