PREVIEW (By Uthra Ganesan)
When India regained an Olympic medal after 41 years at Tokyo, it re-ignited hopes {that a} World Cup medal too was not not possible. Quite a bit has modified since then for and with the group — when it comes to personnel in addition to outcomes.
Runner-up on the 2022 Commonwealth Video games sounds good till one appears to be like on the hammering by Australia within the last. A 3rd-place end on the Asian Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup with largely younger and inexperienced squads meant whereas the bench was examined, the senior gamers needed to make do with the handful of Professional League video games for match-practice.
SQUADS
India
P.R. Sreejesh, Krishna Pathak, Jarmanpreet Singh, Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh (Captain), Varun Kumar, Amit Rohidas (Vice Captain), Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Shamsher Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh
Head Coach: Graham Reid
Spain
Andreas Rafi, Alejandro Alonso, Cesar Curiel, Xavi Gispert, Borja Lacalle, Álvaro Iglesias, Ignacio Rodríguez, Enrique Gonzalez, Gerard Clapes, Andreas Rafi, Jordi Bonastre, Joaquin Menini, Mario Garin(gk), Marc Reyne, Marc Miralles (captain), Pepe Cunill, Marc Recasens, Pau Cunill, Marc Vizcaino
Head Coach: Maximiliano Caldas
None of it might matter when India strains up towards Spain for its opening World Cup recreation on the model new, still-getting-finishing touches Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela on Friday. Just like the venue, the group can be raring for a recent begin.
It received’t be a simple outing, although. Spain is without doubt one of the youngest sides within the fray however with an astute coach seeking to construct a group for the long run. India received the assembly on the Tokyo Olympics, however since then, the groups have shared honours within the final 4 Professional League video games — all in Bhubaneswar. For a group that historically tends to begin gradual and steadily choose up momentum, India should hearth from the start right here.
In captain Alvaro Iglesias, Enrique Gonzalez and Argentine import Joaquin Menini, Spain has the expertise and in Max Caldas, a coach who is aware of India nicely — he was with the Dutch final time round, ending India’s marketing campaign within the quarterfinals and reaching the ultimate.
In his restricted time with Spain to date, he has proven he’s not afraid to experiment with methods.
“It is a bit difficult to tell how much influence past results have but I think it gives us confidence. For most of our players it is the first World Cup and that can be a different feeling from the Pro League,” Caldas mentioned.
In the meantime, the host has a mixture of youth and expertise in each division. The senior professionals, together with Manpreet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh and Akashdeep Singh, will probably be anticipated to information the kids.
The largest benefit, after all, can be the gang. The stadium is sold-out and the Odisha public has all the time been vocal in its assist.
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
Performed: 30 | India: 13 | Spain: 11 | Draw: 6
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
November 6, 2022: India 2-2 Spain (FIH Professional League)
October 30, 2022: India 2-3 Spain (FIH Professional League)
February 27, 2022: India 3-5 Spain (FIH Professional League)
February 26, 2022: India 5-4 Spain (FIH Professional League)
July 27, 2021: India 3-0 Spain (Tokyo Olympics)
When and the place will India vs Spain Group D match of the 2023 Males’s Hockey World Cup be performed?
India vs Spain Group D match of the 2023 Males’s Hockey World Cup will probably be performed on the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela on Friday – January 13, 2023.
At what time will India vs Spain Group D match of the 2023 Males’s Hockey World Cup start?
India vs Spain Group D match of the 2023 Males’s Hockey World Cup will start at 7PM IST.
The place to observe India vs Spain Group D match of the 2023 Males’s Hockey World Cup?
India vs Spain Group D match of the 2023 Males’s Hockey World Cup will probably be telecast dwell on Star Sports activities First, Star Sports activities Choose 2 HD, Star Sports activities Choose 2 SD. The identical will probably be streamed dwell on Disney+ Hotstar.
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