India midfielder Hardik Singh refused to draw focus to Harmanpreet Singh’s injury during his side’s 3-1 loss to Netherlands in the second round of the men’s World Cup.
Harmanpreet, who played through a back injury, scored India’s lone goal from a Penalty Corner in the 51st minute to halve the deficit, but immediately left the turf to receive treatment.
Before he made his way back, India conceded again to go two goals down in the 54th minute. In the third quarter, too, Harmanpreet’s absence on the pitch led to back-up Amit Rohidas setting up from India’s two PCs.
ALSO READ: India loses to Netherlands in Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026 second-round match
While head coach Craig Fulton said the team had to manage his ‘stiff back’ during the game, Hardik felt it was a non-issue.
“Small injuries are a part of the game. There are so many guys who are struggling from injuries right now also. It’s a high intensity game. As the tournament progresses, injuries become a part of the game,” told Sportstar.
He added, “I don’t think there is any injury or something serious about Harmanpreet or anyone. We should not be worried about this. We trained for 320 days in Bangalore just to be here and give 110%. It’s a part of the game. There are so many guys who were struggling from hamstring injuries and back injuries, including Harman.”
India again struggled to find the right connections in field play, making it the second game of the tournament without a field goal. On the game plan, Hardik seemed to hint at using Penalty Corners as a ploy to hurt the Dutch.
“We did a good study of the opposition team and we know where they lag and where they don’t. Sometimes, our main draggers are on the field and sometimes they are not. We need to adjust the strategy,” said the 28-year-old.
Published on Aug 23, 2026
