The former international for Australia argues that having a lot of talented players does not guarantee a strong performance.
On Thursday, the home team’s head coach, Graham Reid, stated that “experience is a bit overrated” in major competitions like the World Cup. As a result, India will need to be careful in their tournament debut against less skilled Spanish players.
While India has a mix of experienced players with more than 100 international matches and young players, the majority of Spanish players have played fewer than 100 international matches.
The former international for Australia argues that having a lot of talented players does not guarantee a strong performance. Additionally, he maintained that nothing could compete with the “best” hockey of the era.
“We must perform at our highest level because this is our home World Cup.” “That is the key to us winning this tournament, and we believe we can do that,” Reid stated in a press conference prior to the match.
“In big tournaments like this, where experience can sometimes be overrated, the key is to play our best. Spain has the potential to perform significantly better than they think they can, so be cautious. They have nothing to lose, so keep an eye out for them. That is the situation.
At the brand-new Birsa Munda Stadium, India, ranked sixth in Pool A, will face Spain on Friday. The hosts will then take on Wales on January 20 and England on January 15. Captain Harmanpret asserts that Indian players stand a good chance of winning the World Cup at home.
“Playing in India is advantageous because the home crowd will support us. Every four years, there is the World Cup, which is very important. When India will once again host the World Cup is unknown. Opportunities must be taken advantage of if you want to win games.
“Winning the World Cup is very likely for us.” We are fit and experienced, and our performance over the past year has been excellent. He stated, noting that the team’s players are all healthy enough to be selected, “Our plan is to keep the focus from the first match itself and execute our plans.”