The FIH Hockey World Cup, which is held every four years, will be held in India this year. The tournament is to be held in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela in Odisha from January 13 to 29. Meanwhile, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has made a big announcement. He has said that if India wins the Hockey World Cup this year, he will give Rs 1-1 crore to each player of the team. Patnaik had gone to Rourkela to inaugurate the World Cup village when he announced the prize.
225 Rooms in the World Cup Sports Village
The Sports Village of the World Cup has 225 rooms. It took 9 months to make. It will have World Cup officials and teams.
Patnaik met the Indian hockey team
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik also met the players of the Indian team. He wished the team ‘Best of Luck’ for the World Cup.
Indian team is in Pool D
India, ranked number six in the world, have been placed in Pool D along with England, Spain and Wales. The hosts will begin their campaign against Spain on January 13 at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela.
Command of the team over Harmanpreet Singh
The team will be led by drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh. While Abhishek and Sukhjeet Singh will play the world for the first time. The 26-year-old Harmanpreet was part of the bronze-winning team at the Olympics. He was named FIH Player of the Year in 2020-21 and 2021-22. India’s first match will be against Spain on January 13, second against England on January 15 and third against Wales on January 19. Sreejesh and Krishna Bahadur will go on to play the fourth World Cup.
The Full squad of India
Harmanpreet (Captain), Amit (Vice-Captain), Krishna Bahadur, Sreejesh (Goalkeeper), Jarmanpreet, Surendra, Varun, Neelam Sanjeep, Manpreet, Hardik, Neelkant Sharma, Shamsher, Vivek Prasad, Akashdeep, Mandeep, Lalit, Abhishek, Sukhjeet.
