Team India's head coach Graham Reid was happy that his team earned back-to-back clean sheets in their first two matches of Pool D in the ongoing 2023 FIH Men's Hockey World Cup after their goalless draw against England on Sunday. Both sides played out an entertaining stalemate in front of a packed crowd in Rourkela.
India and England started their campaign with wins over Spain and Wales respectively and the two sides will aim to top the Pool with a victory in their final match. Speaking to the reporters after the match, Reid repeated that his side were leaking goals since their bronze medal finish in the Tokyo Olympics and that back-to-back clean sheets to start the tournament was a big positive.
"We have been leaking goals since the Tokyo Olympics but now we have got back-to-back clean sheets, that is positive from this match," Reid said at the post-match press conference. "We conceded too many penalty corners but at the same time we defended them very well," he added.
The former Australia player was also elated with the way his team defended penalty corners, with India having conceded eight of them, including five in the first quarter, but did not concede a single goal.
"At this level, when you are playing fast-paced hockey, it happens. It is always a concern if you concede that many penalty corners. We are going to try and make amends. We have to try and do better inside the opposition circle. But I am very pleased with the commitment of the players. It was a high-skilled hockey played by both the teams, it was a telling match and both came off exhausted," he added.
Reid also shared an update on Hardik Singh, who was taken off during the match after sustaining a knock. "It looked pretty bad when he came off but I have gotten an update and it is not as bad as we originally thought. We will have an update on that, we will see," said Reid.
India will play Wales in their final Pool D encounter on Thursday.
