Rourkela: Having failed to qualify for the quarterfinals of the ongoing FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup, Team India will take on Japan at the Birsa Munda International Stadium in Odisha’s Rourkela on Thursday for a chance to play in the 9/10 place classification match. The match will begin at 7 pm.
India was relegated to the classification bracket of the championship after a 5-4 (3-3) defeat in penalties against Kiwis in a must-win crossover match on Sunday. Graham Reid’s team can now finish no higher than 9th in the sixteen-team event.
The head-to-head record is 26-3 in favour of the Harmanpreet Singh-led team, which has lost to Japan just once in the last 10 years.
Notably, the hosts began their campaign with a win 2-0 win over Spain, which was followed by a goalless draw against England and a 4-2 win over Wales.
The last match of India’s World Cup campaign will be telecast live on Star Sports First, Star Sports Select 2 HD, and Star Sports Select 2 SD. The same will be streamed live on Disney+ Hotstar.
