India will not face arch-rival Pakistan until the semifinals of the Hockey World Cup 2018 if the Green Shirts manage to beat World No. 3 Belgium in the crossover match on Tuesday, December 11.
The crossover format sees second-placed team in Pool C face third placed-team in Pool D and third-placed team from Pool D face second-placed team Pool C. The same format is applied to teams from Pool A and Pool B, respectively.
The tournament’s lowest-ranked teams — China (17) and France (20) — face off in a crossover match on Monday. France pulled off the upset of the tournament in beating Olympic champion Argentina 5-3 in its final group match. The winner of the China-France match will face defending world champion Australia, which topped Pool B with wins over Ireland, England and China.
Pool D topper Germany will meet the winner of the third crossover match between Belgium and Pakistan in the last-eight encounter.
1986 World Cup finalist England will lock horns with New Zealand in the first crossover clash on Monday, and the winner will face Argentina in the quarterfinals.
India's lone World Cup title came in 1975 in Kuala Lumpur and it has not made it to the semifinals ever since. Coach Harendra Singh's young team has showcased fearless hockey and captured the imagination of home fans, who would want it to go long and far, right up to the pinnacle in the tournament.
Monday, December 10
CS1 – England vs New Zealand – 4:45 pm
CS2 – France vs China – 7 pm
Tuesday, December 11
CS3 - Belgium vs Pakistan – 4:45 pm
CS4 – Netherlands vs Canada – 7 pm
Wednesday, December 12
QF1: Argentina vs England/New Zealand – 4:45 pm
QF2: Australia vs France/China – 7 pm
Thursday, December 13
QF3: India vs Netherlands/Canada – 4:45 pm
QF4: Germany vs Belgium/Pakistan – 7 pm
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