Indian men’s hockey will begin the home leg of the all-important Paris Olympics pre-game, with two legs of the professional league to be held at Bhubaneswar’s Kalinga Stadium and Lukla’s Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium.
During this period, they will face the top four teams in Australia, Spain, the Netherlands and Ireland, hoping to avenge their last major tournament at home in the 2023 World Cup.
Today we will play against Spain and the match will start at 7:30pm today.
“It’s the final stage before the Olympics and we want to put in a consistent performance. There are some young players who have been really exciting to watch and have been added to the team. They will have a chance in these eight games. So we can confirm the Olympic team,” head coach Craig Fulton said before the tournament. Harmanpreet Singh, his captain and the team’s star drag flicker, said: “We have returned from a successful tour to South Africa to start the professional league in the best possible way, playing against France, South Africa and the Netherlands. By the way,” he added. This team has few young players, and it will be a great opportunity for them to get used to the playing style of the best team in the world. ”
More information can be found in the tournament preview here. India launches important campaign ahead of Paris Olympics
When India played Spain in the 2023 World Cup, they won 2-0 thanks to goals from Amit Rohidas and Hardik Singh…but despite finishing ahead of Spain in the pool, they finished in the quarter-finals. It was Spain who made it to the final (where they lost). India lost to New Zealand in the qualifiers and then narrowly lost to the Australian giants. This will be a tough test first in Bhubaneswar.
You can follow the build-up and minute-by-minute updates of the match on our live blog here.
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