It is no secret that penalty corner conversion rates have fallen. There was a time when forwards would congratulate each other on winning PCs. Now, they aren't even wishing each other after most PCs given their failure to convert. The average PC conversion rate of 25-30 per cent has fallen to less than 24 per cent (40 goals out of 167 PCs in the World Cup league phase) here. And drag flickers alone cannot be blamed for this, says India's analytical coach Chris Ciriello.

"Defending a penalty corner is tougher than scoring. People expect you to score 100 per cent off PCs but if you score 100 per cent, you should concede 100 per cent too. But it doesn't work that way," Ciriello, 33, a fine drag flicker himself, told mid-day at the Kalinga Stadium.