At the 2019 FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup, which will be held in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela from January 13 to 29, former Asian Games gold medalist VR Raghunath believes that the hosts India are strong candidates for a podium finish. Check out the complete details about it below.
India is a strong contender for the Men’s Hockey World Cup title, according to VR Raghunath
We will undoubtedly compete for medals at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup in 2023 in Bhubaneswar-Rourkela. We should definitely take advantage of the home field and home crowd advantages that we would have, Raghunath was quoted as saying by Hockey India.
The former drag flicker said a podium finish in the forthcoming extravaganza will be a remarkable milestone for the game in India. India earned a historic bronze medal at last year’s Tokyo Olympics after a break of 41 years.
India has so far taken home three medals from the World Cup: a third-place result in the first competition in 1971, a silver in the following year, and a gold in Kuala Lumpur in 1975.
It would be wonderful to complete this competition (the World Cup) with a medal as well. Recently, we also received a medal at the Tokyo Olympics. And if they succeed in doing so, the players would experience a very special moment, Raghunath added.
In addition to Australia, whom Raghunath supports, Belgium, the current global champions, are also in the running for the championship.
“I believe that Belgium and Australia will be two sides who will be incredibly challenging to defeat.
I wish the Indian men’s hockey team the best of luck at the World Cup, and I hope we can all celebrate a podium finish at the conclusion, he said.
Stay tuned with us to get more updates from the sports world.