BHUBANESWAR: Excitement was palpable as India men’s hockey team reached Odisha on Tuesday, well ahead of the FIH World Cup next year. The team, led by captain Harmanpreet Singh, reached Biju Patnaik International Airport, where they were given a rousing welcome by fans outside the airport. The team along with coach Graham Reid left for Rourkela from another domestic airport.
India will undergo the final leg of their preparation in Rourkela before playing their first match against Spain on January 13. The first match will be played in Bhubaneswar on the same day. Harmanpreet sounded positive about India’s performance at the event and said “we are excited for the World Cup. We spent some quality time in Bangalore before the team was finalised.”
He also said that “the World Cup is the most important tournament and being the host nation it is of great importance to us”. “We are going to start our campaign at a new stadium in Rourkela. We are having more than two weeks’ time. We will start our practice there and that will help us to understand the conditions better,” said Harmanpreet before leaving Bhubaneswar.
According to a Hockey India statement, the team reached Rourkela in the evening and chief coach Graham Reid felt at home in Odisha. “Odisha is like our second home and we are very happy to be back here. We are looking forward to the next two weeks here in Rourkela and will be going through final touches to our game. We are well-prepared for the challenge and expect the pitch conditions to be similar to that of Bhubaneswar.”
The Indian Men’s Hockey Team, are placed in Pool D, along with Spain, England, and Wales.
“We haven’t played in Rourkela yet but I think it is a wonderful opportunity for the team to be playing in front of such passionate hockey fans in this region. We are all looking forward to our first match here,” Reid said.