This time, however, with the World Cup qualification at stake, India has brought their best squad to the campaign and will be looking to showcase their A game in Rajgir.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Upon arriving this afternoon, fresh from high-intensity friendly matches against Australia in Perth, Chief coach Craig Fulton expressed his delight over playing in Bihar for the first time. \u201cWe are very happy to arrive in Bihar for this prestigious tournament. It is great that international hockey is being hosted here, and we want to inspire the people of this region with our game and create more fans for the sport,\u201d Fulton stated.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Speaking about the importance of this tournament, Fulton said, \u201cThe team\u2019s preparations have been solid for this tournament. Our approach will be similar to that of the Paris Olympics, where we began with good wins in the pool stage. We want to start well here, take it game-by-game, build on our momentum, and we are cognisant that it\u2019s been eight years since India last won the title (in 2017, Dhaka). While we are confident of winning, we don\u2019t want to take any team lightly.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Upon arriving this afternoon, fresh from high-intensity friendly matches against Australia in Perth, Chief coach Craig Fulton expressed his delight over playing in Bihar for the first time. \u201cWe are very happy to arrive in Bihar for this prestigious tournament. It is great that international hockey is being hosted here, and we want to inspire the people of this region with our game and create more fans for the sport,\u201d Fulton stated.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
India is grouped in Pool A along with Japan, China, and Kazakhstan, while Pool B features Malaysia, Korea, Bangladesh, and Chinese Taipei.<\/p>\r\n\r\n