FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023: It’s time for the boys to represent India in blue once again. The Hockey World Cup will begin on January 13, 2023. The Indian men’s hockey team is all set to embark on a new journey as they take on Spain in the opening game. The first match will be played at the Birsa Munda Stadium in Rourkela, Odisha. Interestingly, India is the only team to have participated in every edition of the tournament. Team India will make its 15th appearance in the tournament in 2023.
It has been 48 years since India lifted the coveted trophy. Since 1975, his best performance came in the 1994 edition where he was placed 5th. The scenario is a bit different this time as compared to other previous editions. Team India clinched the Olympic bronze medal in 2021 and the World Cup will also be played in their home conditions. A medal in this showpiece would strengthen the claim that with eight Olympic golds, the former stalwarts of the sport have turned around world hockey. India claimed the silver in the 1973 event as well. Ajit Pal Singh led the team to title victory in 1975, but since then they could not even reach the semi-finals. As disappointing as it sounds, the Indian outfit could not progress past the group stage between 1978 and 2014.
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Ever since Graham Reid took over as the head coach in 2019, India’s stature has grown. He has been able to get the best out of players, while injecting a tactical discipline into his trademark efficient, fluid playing style, making him a respected team player. And scared in equal measure. India, currently ranked sixth in the world, come into the tournament on the back of an impressive performance against world number one Australia in the five-match series, though they lost 1-4. Undoubtedly, the Indian team will be one of the medal contenders, with a talented Harmanpreet Singh-led side emerging as a force to be reckoned with. The team has earned respect from other top nations in recent times.
Indian team: Abhishek, Surendra Kumar, Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Harmanpreet Singh (c), Lalit Upadhyay, Krishna Pathak, Neelam Sanjeep X, PR Sreejesh, Neelkant Sharma, Shamsher Singh, Varun Kumar, Akashdeep Singh, Amit Rohidas (Vice-Captain), Vivek Sagar Prasad and Sukhjit Singh.
Spain team: Andreas Raffi, Alejandro Alonso, César Curiel, Xavi Gispert, Borja Lacalle, Álvaro Iglesias, Ignacio Rodríguez, Enrique González, Gerard Claps, Andreas Raffi, Jordi Bonastre, Joaquin Menini, Mario Garín, Marc Rainey, Marc Miralles, Pepe Cunil, Mark Rickenson , Pau Kunil and Mark Vizcaino.