Rourkela: The Indian men’s hockey team, which has taken the first step towards achieving its old glory by winning a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, will aim to end its 48-year wait for a medal in the World Cup when they take on Spain in the opening match of the Men’s Hockey World Cup on January 13.
The Indian team, which has won eight gold medals in the Olympics, won the only World Cup in 1975 in Kuala Lumpur under the captaincy of Ajitpal Singh. After this, the team could not even reach the semi-finals.
Earlier, India had won a bronze medal in the first World Cup in 1971 and a silver medal in 1973. After this, From 1978 to 2014, India could not go beyond the group stage. Last time too, In the World Cup played in Bhubaneswar, India was knocked out after losing to the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.
The Harmanpreet Singh-led Indian team is one of the strongest contenders for a medal on its soil this time. India, who are ranked sixth in the world rankings, had performed well in the recent five-match series against Australia, but lost 1-4. Graham Reid’s team defeated a strong team like Australia in one match and won against them after six years.
India had also finished third in the FIH Pro League in the 2021-22 season. After Reid became the coach in 2019, India’s ranking in international hockey has increased and he has been able to get the players to perform well.
This year, FIH’s best player and Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh is one of the best drag-flickers in the world. Apart from him, experienced goalkeepers PR Sreejesh, Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh and Mandeep Singh will be credited with success.
India will take on Spain today and the hosts will aim to start on a winning note to make it straight to the quarterfinals.
Spain, ranked eighth in the world, has never been a weak opponent for India and they are one of the youngest teams in the tournament. Spain finished runners-up in 1971 and 1998 and won a bronze medal in 2006. Since 1948, India has won 13 out of 30 matches against Spain and Spain has won 11 matches, while six matches have been drawn. The match between India and Spain will start at 7 pm.