Young hockey players have a chance to test the playing style of the best teams: Harmanpreet
[ad_1]
Indian hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh on Monday said that India’s young hockey players will have a chance to get acquainted with the playing style of the world’s best teams in the upcoming FIH Pro League stage. He hopes the country will qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup with the FIH Pro League title.
The Indian men’s hockey team arrived here on Monday to participate in the Pro League to be held at Kalinga Hockey Stadium from February 10 to 16 and Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela from February 19 to 25. India had missed out on a podium finish last season by a narrow margin. The Indian team stood fourth after Netherlands, Britain and Belgium.
“We have just returned from a successful tour of South Africa, where we got a chance to test our game against France, South Africa and Netherlands ahead of the Pro League,” Harmanpreet said in a release from Hockey India (HI). He said, “This time some young players have been included in the team and it will be a great opportunity for them to get acquainted with the playing style of some of the best teams in the world.”
Apart from India, teams from Ireland, Netherlands, Spain and Australia are participating in this phase of Pro League. These teams will face each other once in Bhubaneswar and once in Rourkela. The Indian captain said, “We are taking the Pro League very seriously because winning it will give us direct qualification for the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026. Along with this, this event will also play an important role in the preparation for Paris 2024 Olympics.
India will face Spain in their first match of this season on February 10, followed by the world’s best-ranked team Netherlands on February 11. The host team will then challenge Australia on 15 February and Ireland in the last match of the Bhubaneswar leg on 16 February.
Disclaimer: IndiaTheNews has not edited this news. This news has been published from PTI-language feed.
[ad_2]
Source link
