FIH Pro League to begin in Bhubaneswar on Saturday; Indian teams eye World Cup berth
The Hindu
India's national hockey teams gear up for FIH Pro League at Kalinga Stadium, eyeing World Cup qualification.
A fortnight after the glamour and glory of the Hockey India League that saw old rivals get together and new equations formed, world hockey will return to national competition as the India leg of the FIH Pro League kicks off at the Kalinga Stadium here on Saturday.
The Indian men and women are the only ones yet to start their Pro League campaign with the winners getting a ticket to the 2026 World Cup, something both coaches Craig Fulton and Harendra Singh respectively have targeted. That’s easier said than done, however, specially for the women, still recovering from missing out on the Paris Olympics and gradually getting accustomed to a new style and structure under Harendra.
The Indian team, led by Salima Tete, will be up against the formidable Dutch besides Germany, Spain and England. While the Netherlands is currently second with three wins in four games, the other European sides have been struggling, giving India a chance to push itself up the table. The Kalinga Stadium has been a happy hunting ground for the Indian men and the women would be hoping to replicate the success with home support.
“We are facing challenging opponents but I am confident the girls are ready to take on the challenge. We had a disappointing season last time but I feel we are well-prepared this time around,” Tete admitted on the eve of the competition. India will kick off their home leg against England, who have lost three of their four games so far. Germany and Spain, meanwhile, are yet to win.
The Indian men, meanwhile, would be hoping to garner maximum points possible before leaving for the European leg of the competition to keep their hopes of winning the Pro League for the first time alive. The Indians had only a few days off after the gruelling month-long HIL but captain Harmanpreet Singh insisted it was for the best.
“The Hockey India League had a lot of lessons for us and helped us maintain our fitness. Our main target, of course, is to win the Pro League and qualify for the World Cup but we are not thinking of that right now. We will be looking at improving match by match and convert as many of the chances as we can,” Harmanpreet said on Friday ahead of India’s opening game against Spain.
India will then take on reigning World Champion Germany in a repeat of the Paris semifinal, followed by a tricky Ireland and a confident England, coming in on the back of three wins in four games.
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