India will host Spain in the FIH Hockey Pro League next month and Indian skipper Manpreet Singh feels that it will provide them a perfect opportunity to understand the European giant’s game better and be prepared for them during the Hockey World Cup early next year.
After the Pro League, India will face Spain again in their opening Pool D of the showpiece event on January 13th in Odisha.
“It is great that we will get a chance to play against Spain now in the Pro League matches. It will give us an understanding of their game and what we need to improve upon before we meet them again in the first match of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar-Rourkela 2023. In all, these are exciting times for hockey and I hope fans from all over the world will come to Rourkela and Bhubaneswar to support our campaign,” Manpreet said in a release.
The 2022 CWG silver medallists will face England on January 15th in their second match in the group stage in Rourkela followed by their final league stage match against Wales on January 17th at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneshwar.
Expressing his excitement after FIH released the World Cup draw, Manpreet said, “Now that we know where we will begin our campaign and against whom, there is certainly a lot of excitement in the team.”
“We have all experienced how electrifying the atmosphere can be in Bhubaneswar’s Kalinga Hockey Stadium and from what I have heard from my teammates who are from Sundergarh, the fans from this region are all looking to turn up in huge numbers for all the matches to be played in Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela. I can already feel the goosebumps thinking of the turnout for the opening game,” he further added.
“It is the fans who make the experience of playing in Odisha doubly special and we are all eagerly awaiting to showcase our best in the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar-Rourkela 2023,” he said.
The Indian Men’s Team is currently on a short week-long break till 2nd October, and they will return to SAI, Bengaluru for the National Camp ahead of the FIH Hockey Pro League matches against New Zealand and Spain to be played in Odisha.