Published: Jan 13, 2023, 02:39 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 13, 2023, 02:45 PM (IST)
New Delhi: After historic outing at Tokyo Olympics 2020, Indian Men’s hockey team is all set for it’s first World Cup 2023 match against Spain at the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium in Rourkela, Odisha.
Ahead of India’s opening game at Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023, Virat Kohli led the wishes for the Indian team. Kohli took to social media to extend his wishes for the Indian team and asked them to enjoy themselves at the showpiece event.
My best wishes to our Indian men’s hockey team for the World Cup. Go and enjoy yourself, we all are backing you. Good luck. 🇮🇳💪
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) January 13, 2023
At the pre-match press conference Spain’s captain Alvaro Iglesias said that they are excited about the atmosphere even though the stadium is big and it will be hard for the team to communicate.
“We know the stadium in Rourkela is bigger. We know there will be a lot more crowd there. It will be hard to listen to our teammates and the instructions from the referee as well. But it will be an incredibly exciting atmosphere and we are really looking forward to playing here,” said Spain skipper Alvaro Iglesias in the pre-match press conference.
On the other hand India’s skipper Harmanpreet mentioned that the team was overwhelmed by the fan’s welcome at the time of arrival.
“There is anticipation and excitement in equal measure. As the team bus entered Rourkela city and drove closer to the hockey facility, there were thousands of fans who thronged the streets with Tricolour flags and cheered for us as they welcomed us into their home town. We were simply speechless by the gesture, and it was then that we actually got a sense of how much hockey means to the people of this region,” Harmanpreet said.
