The Indian squad intends to end its trophy drought, according to veteran forward Lalit Upadhyay, ahead of the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup in Odisha in 2019.
The Indian hockey team is eager to atone for the setback of the 2018 FIH World Cup in Bhubaneswar, Odisha after an amazing second-place showing at the Commonwealth Games in 2022. The Indian team will compete in Group D of the FIH Odisha Hockey World Cup Bhubaneswar-Rourkela 2023 against teams from England, Spain, and Wales.
“The Commonwealth Games and Olympics gave us a good boost. The recent increase in public interest in hockey serves as a strong incentive for us to perform at our peak during the camp and World Cup. With the purpose of improving both as a team and individually so that we can perform effectively as a team and offer our best selves, we have been working on areas that we feel need development in our training sessions, meetings, and analysis videos. We hope to end the World Cup drought with the backing of our fans “Lalit remarked.
According to seasoned forward Lalit Upadhyay, the Indian team is lucky to have a great opportunity to clear the air in front of the home crowd. “Sadly, we gave away a goal in the final seconds of the Quarterfinal match at the previous World Cup in Bhubaneswar, but the squad has since made tremendous strides and is now regarded as a serious title candidate. Our current goal is to capitalise on the home audience to deliver a brilliant performance and maybe a medal “He declared.
Lalit Upadhyay made his National Team debut in 2014 and has scored 31 goals in 133 appearances. He and Mandeep Singh are the team’s two leading scorers up front.
“Every time I enter the field wearing the Indian shirt, I feel tremendous pride while keeping in mind that it might be the last time I ever do.When I originally joined, I put a lot of effort into getting a spot on the squad and improving my fitness to match the team’s standard. I am glad that I am one of the team’s senior players and that I have improved my consistency over the past few years. I also welcome the additional duties that come with this position “Lalit said on his journey thus far.
When asked how he mentors the team’s younger members, he responded, “It is crucial to support them as they develop their teamwork and decision-making skills. If we get this right, it will be simpler to trick the defences of our opponents and we will succeed in our goal. Starting to play as a team, for the team, and not putting all of the emphasis on oneself to score goals alone is the only way to develop this understanding.”
They will play Spain and New Zealand in the FIH Hockey Pro League matches in Odisha starting on October 28 before their World Cup campaign at home. At SAI Bengaluru, game preparation is in full flow.
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