Hockey World Cup 2023: Player ratings for Indian hockey team as they end their campaign with 5-2 win

The Indian hockey team earned ninth place in the FIH Hockey World Cup 2023 by beating South Africa 5-2 in their last match of the tournament. Though it was a hugely disappointing tournament for the Indian team as they failed to reach the quarterfinals, comfortable wins in their last two matches would give them a slightly soothing feeling.

However, the match against South Africa did not witness the most impressive performance from the Indian team. The attacking play was lacking in structure and creativity. Only Player of the Match Abhishek shone with his play while the other attackers failed to help him out.

To better understand the dynamics of this game, let’s look at the player standings from this contest for the Indian hockey team.

Jarmanpreet Singh – 7/10

Jarmanpreet Singh had to step up and fill in, at times, for the missing Indian attackers. His key contribution to India’s fourth goal is a major example of that.

Abhishek – 8/10

Deserving Player of the Match, Abhishek was superb with his work in and around the circle. He didn’t get much support from other attackers in the Indian hockey team but was brilliant individually.

Surender Kumar – 6/10

Surender did okay, but he wasn’t exceptional.

Manpreet Singh – 6/10

Manpreet’s performance was also in the realms of reasonable but not brilliant.

Mandeep Singh – 5/10

Mandeep didn’t perform his duties as a forward well enough. He wasn’t able to create too many opportunities for the Indian hockey team or play a key role inside the circle.

Krishan Bahadur Pathak – 7/10

Nothing wrong with Krishan Pathak’s performance in this match. He didn’t have much to do in the first half and was decent in the second.

Harmanpreet Singh – 5/10

Harmanpreet managed to score one goal in this match. He didn’t get to take a shot on all of India’s PC routines as Varun Kumar was given a chance. His role in the defense wasn’t too prominent.

Lalit Kumar Upadhyay – 4/10

Lalit wasn’t at his best again. He did suffer a big blow to his head in the first half. That may have affected him as well. But he too didn’t give enough support to Abhishek.

Nilam Sanjeep Xess – 6/10

Though there was nothing exceptional about Nilam’s efforts, he did his job without any major mistakes.

PR Sreejesh – 6/10

Sreejesh loses a point for conceding a stroke in the dying seconds of the game. Otherwise, the Indian veteran didn’t let his team down.

Nilakanta Sharma – 7/10

Nilakanta is a vital cog in the Indian hockey team's midfield. He was once again instrumental in India’s dominance in the first half.

Shamsher Singh – 5/10

Though he scored one goal today, Shamsher wasn’t too impactful in this contest. He remained largely invisible.

Varun Kumar – 5/10

Varun got the opportunity to showcase his skills as a drag-flicker but couldn’t score.

Raj Kumar Pal – 5/10

Raj Kumar Pal was largely invisible in the match. This may not be entirely his fault as the Indian hockey team focussed more on other players.

Akashdeep Singh – 6/10

Akashdeep didn’t show the magic he had in the previous games. He wasn’t beating the defenders with his skills and often failed to get the ball through to the circle.

Amit Rohidas – 5/10

Amit too wasn’t as effective as in the first couple of matches of this tournament for India. He mainly played as a defender but wasn’t as strong as before. He also picked up a yellow card.

Vivek Sagar Prasad – 7/10

Vivek was decent with his work in the midfield. He is also capable to playing high up the pitch and making a mark in the attacking department for the Indian hockey team.

Sukhjeet Singh – 5/10

Sukhjeet got a goal towards the end of the match but was otherwise not distinguished. He also got hit with a yellow card in the 51st minute.