Injury-hit India face big test against World No 1 Germany

The young Indian hockey team may be high on confidence after two consecutive wins in the ongoing Champions Trophy here, but they have been laid low by injuries to key players as they prepare to face World No 1 and reigning Olympic champions Germany in their third preliminary league match today

After two consecutive wins against England (3-1) and New Zealand (4-2) , India are atop Pool A. However, it was learnt yesterday that coach Michael Nobbs could have a selection headache against the Germans, as midfielder Manpreet Singh and striker SV Sunil suffered injuries in Sunday's match against New Zealand.u00a0

An injured SV Sunil may miss today's clash against Germany

India are the only side in the tournament to have won both their matches, leading the group with six points. All other teams in India's group have lost at least one match, with Germany and England both having three points from two outings. In FIH's new format for the Champions Trophy devised last year, all eight teams qualify for the quarter-finals.