India not good enough for semis, says German captain

Going by current form, India is not in contention for a semi-final berth in the ongoing hockey World Cup and they would have to take their game altogether to a different level to reach the last four stage, according to Germany captain Maximillian Muller.

After blanking Canada 6-0 on Wednesday, Muller picked three teams -- other than his own -- which looked good for the semi-finals.

"I think England, Australia and the Netherlands are the favourites," said Muller.

"There are still chances for India but they have win against strong teams in their pool. They have to improve their performance in the remaining matches," he explained.

German coach Markus Weise said India's next match against Spain would decide the home team's fate in the tournament.

"I have only seen India play on television and whatever I saw, I think India is doing good. But their match against Spain will be crucial," Weise said. 

Muller, meanwhile, dismissed suggestions that Pool B -- featuring India, Pakistan, Australia, Spain, South Africa and England -- is tougher than the Pool A.

"I don't think our pool is lighter. Our pool is different that the other one. Pool B consists of teams of similar power. Pool B is open because of the results of England-Australia and Pakistan-Spain matches," Muller said.

Muller also expressed satisfaction with his side's performance today and said from here on, every game is a challenge for them.

"It is a very good win for us after the draw against Korea. We needed the three points. We controlled the game for 70 per cent and that was our game plan.

"We have a quite young team but we have the potential. If we can perform like today and improve upon our performance in every match, we might reach the finals and who knows we can win the title also," he added.