BHUBANESWAR: Hockey fever gained momentum as Odisha’s capital city Bhubaneswar geared up to stage the 35th Men’s Champions Trophy, its maiden international event, at the sprawling Kalinga Stadium Hockey Complex from Saturday.
The eight teams in the fray kept the two blue-and-pink synthetic pitches busy thoughout the day, playing warm-up matches or undergoing practice sessions, while Hockey India, in association with the Odisha government, came close to completing the preparations for the biennial tournament.
Demand for tickets and passes reached its peak as the modern hockey complex assumed a festive look with flowers, flags and hoardings everywhere.
Even the doubt about the availability of India captain Sardar Singh, who injured his left leg during the home team’s practice match against defending champions Australia earlier on Wednesday, could not dampen the enthusiasm of sports lovers.
The 28-year-old talismanic mid-fielder, one of the best in the business, skipped the practice session on Thursday and was seen sitting near the goalpost with a bandage around his calf muscle.
Though no official update on Sardar’s fitness status was released by the team management, defender and Odisha star Birendra Lakra asserted earlier in the day that the injury was not of serious nature and the captain would be fit to play the opening match against Germany on Saturday.
Germany Upset
Dark horses Belgium served a warning by posting a 4-0 stunning win over nine-time champions Germany in a practice match on Thursday. Belgian forward Tom Boon, the costliest player of next month’s Hockey India League, justified his worth, scoring a neatly-crafted goal. Sebastien Dockier and Tanguy Cosyns scored the other three goals for the winners.
Thirteen time champions Australia, who suffered a 2-0 defeat against India in their first practice game on Wednesday, bounced back with a 2-0 convincing win against Argentina in another practice match. The scorers were Russell Ford and Matt Gohdes. This was the second defeat for Argentina.