London, June 17 (CRICKETNMORE): On Sunday while all eyes will be on the ICC Champions Trophy final between India and Pakistan at The Oval, a few kilometers away at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, the arch-rivals will be seen battling it out in a Group stage ongoing Hockey World League (HWL) Semi Final.

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Cricket captain Virat Kohli, who is leading the men-in-blue for the first time in a major International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament, wished his hockey counterparts the best ahead of the marquee clash.

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Addressing the pre-match press conference, Kohli said he had never tried his hand at hockey but is confident that the Indian team will come out with flying colours.

"I wish our hockey team all the best. I have never tried my hand in it but they are pretty good, so they will be fine," Kohli said.

Applauding the hockey stars for their guts, the 28-year-old cricketer also revealed his fear of getting hit on the face in a hockey match.

"I played with synthetic hockey balls in indoors but never tried (field) hockey. I feel its very scary. Getting hit on the face, I don't know how those guys do it from the penalty corner.

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"It needs a lot of guts to do that," he said.

The Indian cricket team will head into Sunday's final against Pakistan as the defending champions, having won the title in 2013.

 

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About the Author

Saurabh Sharma
Saurabh Sharma is the Editorial Head of Cricketnmore Hindi and a passionate cricket journalist with over 14 years of experience in sports media. He began his journalism career with Navbharat Times, part of the Times of India Group, before moving to television media with Sadhna News. In 2014, he joined Cricketnmore and currently serves as the editor of the platform.
Known for his deep understanding of cricket statistics and unique storytelling approach, Saurabh specializes in cricket news, match analysis, records, and feature stories. Along with editorial responsibilities, he also works as a show producer for popular cricket video series such as Cricket Tales, Cricket Flashback, and Cricket Trivia. Read More
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