India made a strong start to their tournament with a convincing victory over Spain, but they will face a tough test when they play England in their second group match of the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup here on Sunday. England is also a strong team to watch.
In their inaugural Pool D match on Friday at the brand-new Birsa Munda stadium, India trounced Spain 2-0 with a nearly faultless performance, but England is an as difficult team. Because England is also on a high following a 5-0 demolition of Wales in their opening game, the home team cannot let up on the intensity and calibre it displayed against Spain.
India, one of the few nations that have participated in every Hockey World Cup, will be making its 15th appearance at the event in 2023. India last won the World Cup in 1975, and since then, their best performance was a fifth-place showing in 1994. India would seek to place on the podium after winning the Olympic bronze medal in 2021 with a high sense of confidence.
Hockey World Cup 2023: Who will India face in the group stage?
In Group D, India, England, Wales, and Spain have been selected. India will move to the quarterfinals if it wins the group. It will play the crossover match and win to qualify if it finishes second or third.
Hockey World Cup 2023: India Schedule
| Fixture | Round | Date | Time (IST) | Venue |
| India vs Spain | Group Stage | January 13 | 7:00 PM | Rourkela |
| England vs India | Group Stage | January 15 | 7:00 PM | Rourkela |
| India vs Wales | Group Stage | January 19 | 7:00 PM | Bhubaneswar |
Hockey World Cup 2023: India’s Complete Squad
Goalkeeper: P.R. Sreejesh, Krishna Pathak
Defender: Jarmanpreet Singh, Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh (Captain), Varun Kumar, Amit Rohidas (Vice Captain), Nilam Sanjeep Xess
Midfielder: Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Shamsher Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Akashdeep Singh
Forward: Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh
Standby: Rajkumar Pal, Jugraj Singh
Hockey World Cup 2023: When and where to watch India’s games?
All of the World Cup matches, including those involving India, will be telecast on Star Sports First, Star Sports Select 2 HD, and Star Sports Select 2 SD.
The Disney+ Hotstar mobile app offers live streaming of the games as well.
Also Read: Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023: Complete Schedule, Match Timings, How To Watch Live
