BHUBANESWAR: One thing that remains unchanged for foreign teams visiting Odisha is the packed stands. The challenge goes beyond the playing field, where communication amid deafening roars can become a problem. At the ongoing Men's Hockey World Cup, the decibels went a notch higher in Rourkela with 20,000 fans cheering at the majestic Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium. But the knockout action has shifted to Bhubaneswar, and the Kalinga Stadium will bathe in the Indian tricolour when the hosts and New Zealand pull out all stops for a place in the quarterfinals.
India chose to not practice on Friday, and on Saturday morning coach Graham Reid had to finally bite the bullet and ask for a replacement for Hardik Singh, whose World Cup ended because of a hamstring strain.
