Bhubaneswar: Quality of hockey apart, the turf here at the Kalinga Stadium has been bit of a worry for teams ahead of the knockout stage that begins with the quarter-finals on Thursday.
Players slipping, especially while attempting a slap push or a pass on the run, has been a common sight in the three days of competition so far in the FIH Men's Champions Trophy as the recently laid blue turf here is not providing as good a grip as the players would have liked.
Hockey India (HI) chose to take big-ticket hockey out of the capital city of Delhi for the Champions Trophy, and though the crowd response to the 5000-capacity Kalinga Stadium has been nothing short of overwhelming, teams have expressed concern about the pitch.
"Yes, it's a concern, especially in the pockets," said one of the Australian players. "I think the ground staff here aren't exactly aware of how much the pitch should be watered. I think they are overdoing it," he said.
"They need to water it a bit less. We have discussed it during our team meeting. Hope it gets addressed before the knockouts," he added.
India play Belgium in the last quarter-final match on Thursday, while Australia take on Argentina, Pakistan face Netherlands and Germany lock horns with England.
India have never won the Champions Trophy, with their best finish being a bronze medal in the 1982 edition.
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