India's best player of the pool stage, Hardik Singh, has been ruled out of the Men's Hockey World Cup here because of a hamstring strain that hasn't fully recovered to allow him to play further role in India's campaign. India have opted for a like-for-like replacement in the form of alternate player and midfielder Raj Kumar Pal who now has big shoes to fill in as India prepare for the knockout game in the crossovers against New Zealand on Sunday.
