Tag: HOCKEY

Categories
Sport Sports

India jump to 3rd spot in men’s hockey rankings

India’s triumph in the Asian Champions Trophy earned them enough points and the team took their tally to 2771.35, moving up to the third in the rankings ahead of England, who now have 2763.50 points…reports Asian Lite News

The Indian men’s hockey team moved up one place to third in the FIH World Rankings following its brilliant comeback triumph in the Asian Champions Trophy, overtaking England in the latest upgrade to the list.

The men’s hockey team was ranked fourth with 2746 points, just 15 behind England’s 2761. World No.1 Netherlands (3133) had pulled away from second-ranked Belgium (2918) when the list was upgraded on July 7 at the end of the FIH Pro League season.

India’s triumph in the Asian Champions Trophy earned them enough points and the team took their tally to 2771.35, moving up to the third in the rankings ahead of England, who now have 2763.50 points.

The Netherlands retained the No.1 ranking with 3095.90 points followed by Olympic champion Belgium at 2917.87. World Champion Germany are fifth with 2680.04 points with Australia (2517.86), Spain (2492.9), Argentina (2350.07), Malaysia (2041.37) and New Zealand (1965.30) occupying the sixth to 10th places respectively.

Malaysia, who have lost to India in a tumultuous Asian Champions Trophy final in Chennai despite enjoying a two-goal advantage at half-time, too moved up the rankings overtaking New Zealand to jump one place up to ninth. They now have 2041.37 points as compared to 1953 points on July 7.

Seasoned forward Akashdeep Singh scored the winner when it mattered as India fought back brilliantly from a two-goal deficit to beat Malaysia 4-3 in a high-octane final to bag the Asian Champions Trophy title for a record-breaking fourth time here on Saturday.

This is India’s fourth title in the event as they broke the record of three titles (two outright and one shared) with archrivals Pakistan, becoming the most successful team in the event. India had previously won the title in the inaugural year in 2011 and then in 2016. In 2018, they shared the title with Pakistan in Muscat, Oman as the match was rained off.

ALSO READ-India’s hockey heroes Stage thrilling comeback, lift Asian Champions Trophy with 4-3 win

Categories
India News Sport Sports

India’s hockey heroes Stage thrilling comeback

India, who took the lead in the ninth minute through a penalty corner, committed a few defensive errors as Malaysia came back to not only level scores but go ahead 3-1…reports Asian Lite News

Having struggled to make a mark in the event so far, seasoned forward Akashdeep Singh scored when it mattered as India fought back brilliantly from a two-goal deficit to beat Malaysia 4-3 in a high-octane final to bag the Asian Champions Trophy title for a record-breaking fourth time here on Saturday.

This is India’s fourth title in the event as they broke the record of three titles (two outright and one shared) with archrivals Pakistan, becoming the most successful team in the event. India had previously won the title in the inaugural year in 2011 and then in 2016. In 2018, they had shared the title with Pakistan in Muscat, Oman as the match was rained off.

However, on Saturday, the hosts looked in trouble for some time before they fought back to seal a memorable victory, which is a big boost to the team’s morale ahead of the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

Jugraj Singh (9′), Harmanpreet Singh (45′), Gurjant Singh (45′) and Akashdeep Singh (56′) scored in India’s victory. For Malaysia, Abu Kamal Azrai (14′), Razie Rahim (18′) and Aminudin Muhamad (28′) scored to keep them in the title hunt.

India, who took the lead in the ninth minute through a penalty corner, committed a few defensive errors as Malaysia came back to not only level scores but go ahead 3-1.

There was plenty of action in the first quarter with both teams living up to the billing, producing thrilling hockey. India, who came into the final after a convincing 5-0 win against Japan in the semifinal, was quick to take a 1-0 lead when Jugraj Singh flicked at lightning speed to the left corner.

But a spirited Malaysian team was quick to respond when Azuan Hasan tackled Indian defenders in the right flank to enter the circle. His goal attempt needed a faint deflection by Abu Kamal Azrai to put it past the Indian goalie.

With scores levelled, the second quarter was exhilarating. Malaysia shifted gears, to put India under pressure with two goals in this quarter.

Their second goal came off a PC in the 18th minute, through a combined effort by trapper Shello Silverius and flicker Razie Rahim. The Malaysians stunned the hosts with a third goal in the 28th minute when Muhamad Aminudin scored from a fine PC as Malaysia led 3-1 at half-time.

Though the Indian side began the third quarter on an attacking note and earned a penalty corner, a goal continued to elude them despite some sustained attacks till the 45th.

But just when Malaysia were looking forward to claiming their maiden Asian Champions Trophy title, India came roaring back to score twice within a few seconds to level the scores.

India made it 2-3 off a superb field goal when Sukhjeet Singh, who was set up by Nilkanta Singh after a quick exchange of passes to break the defence, was tripped inside the circle, earning India a penalty stroke. Skipper Harmanpreet Singh, the top scorer of the tournament with eight goals, stepped up and flicked a high shot into the net to bring India back into the game.

The comeback was complete seconds later when Gurjant levelled scores, off a pass by Harmanpreet Singh, capitalising on a mistake by a rattled Malaysian defence, tapping in a field goal to make it 3-3.

Though both teams created several chances in the last moments, it was India who held their nerves.

Akashdeep scored the winner five minutes from the end of the match in a pulsating fourth quarter to seal a memorable victory for India.

Sukhjeet Singh who win the ball high on the pitch, played it to Mandeep Singh who in turn set up Akashdeep. His trademark big hit from the top of the circle in the 56th minute meant the team only had to defend the 4-3 lead for the next four minutes and they did just that.

ALSO READ-Cricket drought hits Disney+ Hotstar

Categories
India News Sport Sports

Women’s hockey team ends tour with thrilling 2-1 win over Australia

Navneet Kaur (10′) and Deep Grace Ekka (25′) scored the goals for India while Abigail Wilson (22′) scored the lone goal for Australia ‘A’….reports Asian Lite News

The Indian women’s hockey team put up a spirited showing in the fifth and final game of their tour, defeating Australia ‘A’ 2-1 in a closely-fought tie here on Saturday, ending their tour Down Under on a positive.

Navneet Kaur (10′) and Deep Grace Ekka (25′) scored the goals for India while Abigail Wilson (22′) scored the lone goal for Australia ‘A’.

Having won the previous encounter 3-2, Australia ‘A’ started with confidence, maintaining possession early on. Gurjit Kaur remained alert in the defence for the Indian women’s hockey team, not allowing the opposition entry inside the circle.

Earning three quick penalty corners, India put pressure on the Australia ‘A’ defence and Navneet Kaur (10′) scored the first goal with a reverse hit to give India the lead.

The second quarter started with India continuing to build momentum from the backward line. But Australia ‘A’ managed to get a shot on target from a quick counter-attack, only for captain Savita to make the save. Australia ‘A’ earned their first penalty corner of the night midway into the second quarter, and Abigail Wilson (22′) struck the back of the nets with a drag-flick to level the scoreline. But minutes later, Deep Grace Ekka (25′) put India back in the lead with a drag flick of her own on a penalty corner.

With Vandana Katariya building an attack from the left flank at the start of the second half, India earned another quick penalty corner. But this time, the Australia ‘A’ defence managed to avert the danger.

Controlling the midfield, Neha Goyal set up penetrating runs for Indian attackers as Australia ‘A’ defence felt the pressure. India managed to maintain their 2-1 lead as the third quarter came to a close.

Vandana continued to put pressure on Australia ‘A’, at the start of the final quarter, with a dribbling run inside the circle. With 15 minutes left on the clock, both teams started showcasing urgency.

India earned a late penalty corner to create another chance to increase their lead. But the Australia ‘A’ defence managed to save the set-piece to keep themselves in the contest. India kept possession in the final few minutes to prevent Australia ‘A’ from creating an attacking opportunity and won the thrilling encounter 2-1.

ALSO READ: ‘I am not Bumrah’s replacement’

Categories
India News Sport Sports

Hockey India team for SA tour announced

Preeti, Jyoti Sing, Neelam, Mahima Tete, and Mamita Oram constitute Indian’s defence line-up on the tour…reports Asian Lite News

Hockey India on Tuesday announced the Indian junior women’s team for the South Africa tour, which is set to begin from February 14.

The Indian team led by Preeti as captain and Rutaja Dadaso Pisal as vice-captain, will play a series of matches on the tour between February 17th and 25 against South Africa junior women’s hockey team and South Africa A team.

India’s forward line includes Deepika Soreng, Deepika, Sunelita Toppo, Madugula Bhavani, Annu, and Taranpreet Kaur. In the midfield, Jyoti Chhatri, Manju Chorsiya, Hina Banu, Nikita Toppo, Hritika Singh, Sakshi Rana, and Rutaja Dadaso Pisal have been given the opportunities.

Preeti, Jyoti Sing, Neelam, Mahima Tete, and Mamita Oram constitute Indian’s defence line-up on the tour.

Apart from the 20 players, Aditi Maheshwari, Anjali Barwa, Edula Jyothi, and Bhumiksha Sahu have been named as the four reserve players in the squad.

“The tour is a good opportunity for us to test our young batch of talented players and give them the right kind of exposure. It is important for us to ensure that we continue to give ample playing opportunities to players who are showing signs of progress. We hope to achieve good results on the tour,” said chief coach Janneke Schopman.

India squad:

Goalkeepers: Kurmapu Ramya, Madhuri Kindo

Defenders: Preeti (Captain), Jyoti Singh, Neelam, Mahima Tete, Mamita Oram

Midfielders: Jyoti Chhatri, Manju Chorsiya, Hina Banu, Nikita Toppo, Hritika Singh, Sakshi Rana, Rutaja Dadaso Pisal (Vice-Captain)

Forwards: Deepika Soreng, Deepika, Sunelita Toppo, Madugula Bhavani, Annu, Taranpreet Kaur

Reserve Players: Aditi Maheshwari, Anjali Barwa, Edula Jyothi, Bhumiksha Sahu

ALSO READ: Opener Murali Vijay retires from int’l cricket

Categories
Sports

Hockey India announces cash prize to motivate team

The decision was made by the Hockey India Executive Board in a virtual meeting on December 24 as a way to further boost the morale of the Indian Team for the esteemed competition which will see 16 top teams of the world vie for honours…reports Asian Lite News

The Indian men’s hockey team are eyeing a historic campaign at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 in January and in a bid to motivate them further, Hockey India on Wednesday announced cash prizes for the team and the support staff.

The national governing body for hockey will reward the members of the Indian team led by Harmanpreet Singh with INR 25 lakh each for a gold medal-winning feat at the prestigious quadrennial event while the members of the support staff will be honoured with INR 5 Lakh each. India last stood on the World Cup podium in 1975 where they lifted the coveted title beating Pakistan in the Final held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

A silver medal would see the players walk away with INR 15 Lakh while the support staff would be awarded INR 3 Lakh for their role in the campaign. And a bronze Medal feat by Harmanpreet and Co will see them being awarded with INR 10 Lakh each, while the support staff would be entitled to a prize of INR 2 Lakh.

The decision was made by the Hockey India Executive Board in a virtual meeting on December 24 as a way to further boost the morale of the Indian Team for the esteemed competition which will see 16 top teams of the world vie for honours.

“Finishing on the podium at a Senior Men’s World Cup is not an easy task, and we hope this announcement will further increase the motivation levels of the already glory-hungry Indian Men’s Hockey Team. Winning a medal in a home World Cup would surely go down as one of the best memories for the players in their decorated careers. We wish them the very best for the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela,” said Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey.

“The Indian Men’s Hockey Team is the pride of the nation and we want them to scale all the possible peaks in the sport. To help them achieve that, and to further motivate them towards this target, we have announced this prize for the team. Harmanpreet and Co are very able and talented players and we are sure they will do the best they can to finish with a medal,” said Hockey India’s Secretary General Bholanath Singh.

ALSO READ-India squad for ICC Women’s T20 World Cup announced

Categories
Sport Sports

Opportunity for India to end four-decade medal drought

FIH World Cup: Opportunity for India to end four-decade medal drought.

There have been some setbacks like at the Asian Champions Trophy last year when they had to settle for bronze, and the Asia Cup 2022 at Jakarta, where too the team had to be satisfied with a bronze medal…reports B Srikanth

The 15th edition of FIH Men’s World Cup to be held in India in January 2023 will be one of the biggest hockey events of the year along with the Asian Games in China.

As the clock ticks down for the mega event, which will play out from January 13-29 at Bhubaneswar and Rourkela, Indian fans are looking forward to it in much anticipation.

Their appetite whetted by the men’s team winning the bronze in Tokyo in 2021, ending a four-decade-long wait for an Olympic medal, hockey aficionados are hoping the Indian team will end another embarrassing drought — at 47 years, a lengthier wait for a medal than that at the Olympics — at the men’s World Cup.

It was in 1975 that India won their first and till now only hockey World Cup title at Kuala Lumpur, beating Pakistan 2-1 in the final. Since that fateful third edition of the quadrennial mega event, India have failed to even reach the semifinals.

The upcoming World Cup is crucial for India as an organiser, as it is the first mega event it is hosting after the pandemic and successful conduct of it will boost the country’s morale for other major events later in the year.

With the World Cup medal drought nearing half-a-century, hockey fans feel India have the best chance of ending it as the team has performed brilliantly in the past few years, winning a bronze medal in Tokyo and claiming the third position in the FIH Pro League.

Under head coach Graham Reid’s tutelage, the team has improved a lot and has done exceedingly well, registering wins against the likes of The Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain, reigning World Champion Belgium and Rio Olympics gold medallist Argentina over the last couple of seasons, winning a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in August 2022.

There have been some setbacks like at the Asian Champions Trophy last year when they had to settle for bronze, and the Asia Cup 2022 at Jakarta, where too the team had to be satisfied with a bronze medal.

India will be hosting the event for the fourth time after 1982 (Bombay), 2010 (New Delhi) and 2018 (Bhubaneswar). This will be the second successive edition that India will be hosting and the team’s recent success has emboldened expectations that the drought will end this time.

However, the fans’ expectations have also doubled the pressure on the team and Dutch drag-flick expert Bram Lomans feels the hosts will do well if they manage to handle this extra pressure.

“I think if India can cope with the enormous pressure, and if the players do not get too excited, they have a really good chance of winning. India have got good strikers, good corner-takers, and a good goalkeeper. So they have all the ingredients to go far,” the 1998 World Cup winner said recently.

“If they get too excited or emotional, things can fall apart. But if they can keep their focus, then they are one of the biggest candidates, along with Australia. The Netherlands are also always good.

“They have improved a lot in the past few tournaments, so I expect them to do well. You also have Belgium, Argentina and England, who are doing reasonably well. So, there are at least six-seven teams which might be on top. It will be extremely interesting because it is tight and that is what hockey needs,” Lomans added.

While Indian fans will be watching every move by the players with much anticipation, World No. 1 Australia, reigning World Cup and Olympic Games winner Belgium and The Netherlands, besides the hosts, are the favourites for medals.

In all, 16 teams — Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Chile, England, France, Germany, India, Japan, Malaysia, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, South Africa, South Korea and Wales — will be in the fray in the mega event.

The teams have been divided into four groups of four teams each for the preliminary phase comprising a round-robin competition in the group.

Ranked 5th in FIH World Rankings, India are placed in Group D for the preliminary phase with England, Spain and Wales, with the hosts opening their campaign against Spain at the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium in Rourkela on January 13.

Group A comprises Australia, Argentina, France and South Africa, while Group B has Belgium, Germany, South Korea and 2018 Asian Games winner Japan. Group C includes The Netherlands, New Zealand, Malaysia and Chile.

At the end of the preliminary stage, the four group toppers will directly advance to the quarterfinals while the teams placed second and third in each group will take part in the knock-out crossover phase at the end of which four teams will qualify for the quarterfinals.

The quarterfinals will be played on January 24 and 25, while the semifinals will be held on January 27. The final will be played on January 29.

While the local fans will be keeping a hawk’s eye on the Indian team, experts have placed their bets on reigning champions Belgium, who are also the Olympic gold medallists, and World No. 1 Australia.

Belgium have a great team, with several experienced players. They are currently placed second behind Australia in the world rankings, and have done exceedingly well in the last 5-6 years.

Three-time world champions Australia, with the likes of Blake Govers, Jeremy Hayward, Edward Ockenden and Edward Ockenden in their ranks, are the joint favourites for the experts and will be hoping to win their fourth title and join Pakistan as the most successful team in the World Cup.

The Netherlands too have a good chance of winning their fourth title, while Germany are the dark horse in the competition, though they are going through a rebuilding phase and will have to be at their consistent best to get the better of the likes of Belgium and Australia.

This is the first World Cup for men after the Covid-19 pandemic and the FIH is also looking forward to it with anticipation as it hopes to ride on its success to escape from the financial strife it had landed in due to the pandemic.

ALSO READ-Hardik to get India white-ball captaincy in near future

Categories
Sport Sports

Indian women’s hockey team triumphs over Chile 3-1

FIH Nations Cup: Indian women's hockey team triumph over Chile 3-1 (Credit : Hockey India)

Her goal gave India the edge over Chile as they went on to build on this momentum in the following minutes of the match. They played with good speed in their attack, putting Chile’s defence under the pump…reports Asian Lite News

Hoping to make it back into the Pro League, the Indian women’s hockey team made a winning start in their campaign to win the FIH Women’s Nations Cup 2022 by registering a dominant 3-1 win against Chile here on a cold Sunday afternoon.

Sangita Kumari (3′), Sonika (11′) and Navneet Kaur (32′) scored the goals for India while Fernanda Villagran (44′) scored Chile’s lone goal. India is hoping to win the title as the winner will be promoted to the next season of the FIH Pro League.

The ace goalkeeper Savita-led Indian women’s hockey team got off the blocks to a fine start in the first quarter, making their intent on their opponents very clear. They played with good structure and rotated the ball with precision to find gaps in the Chilean circle early in the game.

Their efforts paid off, with in-form Sangita Kumari finding the net in the 3rd minute of the game. It was experienced forward Vandana Katariya, who set up the goal with a brilliant tackle into the right flank and pushed the ball to Sangita, who made no mistake in putting it past the Chilean goalie.

Her goal gave India the edge over Chile as they went on to build on this momentum in the following minutes of the match. They played with good speed in their attack, putting Chile’s defence under the pump.

India extended their lead to 2-0 in the 11th minute when Sangita set up Sonika with a fine assist to convert the goal. Sonika, who was positioned on the left flank, found a perfect deflection, giving India a solid lead. Sonika was awarded player of the match for her impressive effort in Sunday’s match, according to a report in the Hockey India website.

After a goalless second quarter, India started the third quarter on an attacking note. This time, it was Neha Goyal, who created the scoring opportunity when she picked up an aerial pass and assisted Navneet to score India’s third goal. This 32nd-minute goal gave India a good cushion in the second half of the match.

India’s defence in the meantime held sway without conceding any goals. Chile, however, did manage to slip one in, in the 44th minute through penalty corner via Fernanda Villagran. The final quarter saw India make some amends for the defensive error that led to a PC goal.

They created some fine scoring opportunities in the D, with some skillful play by Vandana, Sangita and Navneet. But Chile’s goalie Natalia Salvador did a fine job to keep Indian attackers from scoring, thus ending the match with a 3-1 scoreline.

ALSO READ-Men’s Hockey World Cup celebration in Cuttack on Jan 11

Categories
Sport Sports

Men’s Hockey World Cup celebration in Cuttack on Jan 11

Hockey.

To ensure a safe and incident free event, dedicated fire, security and health teams will be deployed days prior to the celebration. Traffic management and crowd control were discussed in detail…reports Asian Lite News

Hockey India is all set to host the Hockey World Cup celebration at the historic Barabati Stadium in Odisha’s Cuttack city on January 11, 2023.

The Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup-2023 will be organised from January 13 to 29 in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela.

In order to ensure the smooth conduct of the much awaited event, Odisha Sports Secretary R. Vineel Krishna reviewed the preparations made for the grand celebration at the event venue on Saturday.

Odisha has always played the perfect host, set a benchmark and amazed the global sports audience with its spectacular hosting of the Hockey World Cup of 2018. The excitement has been building up in Cuttack for the upcoming World Cup.

The sports secretary emphasised that this time too all efforts should be oriented towards making this event exemplary. He has advised officials present to support and work closely with the hockey federation to ensure the city is prepared to welcome the World Cup event and that the spectators have a great experience.

To ensure a safe and incident free event, dedicated fire, security and health teams will be deployed days prior to the celebration. Traffic management and crowd control were discussed in detail.

To make the tournament memorable for both the participating teams and also common citizens, the state government is going to organise several mega sporting and cultural events across the state including the hosting cities of Bhubaneswar and Rourkela.

ALSO READ-Argentina more than Messi, Brazil more than Neymar

Categories
Sport Sports

Johor Cup: Indian junior men’s hockey team beat Malaysia

At the start of the second quarter, India continued to press deep inside Malaysia’s circle, putting pressure on the opposition’s defence, Hockey India informed in a release on Saturday…reports Asian Lite News

The Indian junior men’s hockey team started its campaign in the 10th Sultan of Johor Cup, defeating Malaysia 5-2 in its opening game on Saturday.

Amandeep (6′), Araijeet Singh Hundal (10′), Boby Singh Dhami (20′), Sudeep Chirmako (26′), and Sharda Nand Tiwari (56′) scored for India in the match. Malaysia’s goals were scored by Shahmie Irfan Suhaimi (13′) and Muhammad Mamat (52′).

India showed intent right away in the match, with captain Uttam Singh pressing deep inside the circle in the first minute. Malaysia, on the other hand, maintained a strong defensive line and averted the threat. A few minutes later, Amandeep hit a reverse hit into the net to give India the lead.

Araijeet Singh Hundal deflected the ball into the net from a penalty corner attempt, giving India a 2-0 lead. Malaysia’s Shahmie Irfan Suhaimi pulled one back with a couple of minutes left in the first quarter.

At the start of the second quarter, India continued to press deep inside Malaysia’s circle, putting pressure on the opposition’s defence, Hockey India informed in a release on Saturday.

Boby Singh Dhami extended India’s lead by tricking his way past the Malaysian defence and then hitting a reverse hit into the net. Sudeep Chirmako scored India’s fourth goal from a counter-attack just before halftime.

The second half began with Malaysia earning an early penalty corner, but an error by Malaysian captain Abd Razak Syawal quickly ended the threat. Boby Singh Dhami sent a blistering pass to Uttam Singh in the centre, but the Indian captain was unable to get his stick on the ball.

Malaysia maintained possession for the majority of the third quarter in the hopes of covering the deficit but were unable to convert it into a goal.

Malaysia began to show urgency with 15 minutes remaining on the clock as Danish Aiman Muhammad struck a reverse hit that just missed the target.

Minutes later, India earned their second penalty corner of the game, but Malaysia goalkeeper Mohamad Rafaizul saved it. Muhammad Mamat scored a late goal to give Malaysia hope. However, Sharda Nand Tiwari scored from a penalty corner as India won the match 5-2.

ALSO READ-Kaur withdraws from WBBL due to back injury

Categories
Sport Sports

India to open  World Cup campaign against Spain at Rourkela on Jan 13

Men's hockey World Cup: India to open campaign against Spain at Rourkela on Jan 13

The inaugural match at Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium, Rourkela will be a “derby” between England and Wales, and India and Spain will windup the action for the day…reports Asian Lite News

Clubbed with European giants England, Spain and Wales in Pool D, hosts India will open their campaign against Spain in the 2023 FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup at Rourkela on January 13, the opening day of the competition.

While India, the 1975 winner, will take on Spain in a prime-time match at 7pm in the newly-constructed Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium, the action on the first day will start with a 1pm match between 2016 Olympic Gold medallists Argentina and Africa’s highest-ranked nation South Africa at the Kalinga Stadium here.

The second match of the day will also be played at Bhubaneswar with see world No. 1 Australia taking on Paris 2023 host France, in a repeat of the 2018 World Cup quarterfinal.

The inaugural match at Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium, Rourkela will be a “derby” between England and Wales, and India and Spain will windup the action for the day.

While Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist India, England, Spain and Wales comprise Pool D, as per the draw conducted on September 8, the 16 teams have been divided into four groups. Pool A will have Australia, Argentina, France, and South Africa; Pool B comprises Belgium, Germany, Korea, and Japan while Pool C has Netherlands, New Zealand, Malaysia and Chile.

Defending champion Belgium will open their campaign against South Korea at 5pm on January 14 while former champions the Netherlands will get into the act in the 3pm match on the same day.

All teams will play matches in both venues. In total, 44 matches will be played, with the Final scheduled on January 29 (7pm local time) in Bhubaneswar.

India, ranked fifth in the World, will meet the eighth-ranked Spain, who have made a lot of progress in the last year or so under former Dutch coach Max Caldes, will take on World No.6 England in their second match on January 15 at the same venue in Rourkela.

The Graham Reid-coached team will complete its Pool D campaign on January 19 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar against Wales.

After the round-robin preliminary matches within the pool, the four group toppers will book a direct place in the quarterfinals while the eight teams finishing second and third in their respective pools will play in crossover matches to identify the remaining four quarterfinals.

At the last edition of the FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup in 2018, the Manpreet Singh-led India topped the group stage with two wins and a 2-2 draw against eventual champions Belgium. However, India suffered a narrow 2-1 loss against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals after leading 1-0 at one stage.

In the last edition of the Men’s World Cup in 2018, the Manpreet Singh-led India topped the group stage with two wins and a 2-2 draw against eventual champions Belgium. However, India suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals after leading 1-0 at one stage.

ALSO READ-Brazil smash Tunisia, Argentina beat Jamaica in friendlies