Strong welcome to Indian hockey team in Rourkela, hockey captain Harmanpreet said – it was not expected

The Hockey World Cup will begin in India from January 13. The final match of this tournament will be played on 29 January. The World Cup matches will be held in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela, the capital of Odisha. The Indian hockey team under the leadership of Captain Harmanpreet Singh has reached Rourkela 10 days before the start of the tournament. There the fans have given a warm welcome to Team India.

Ever since winning the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, expectations have risen from the hockey team. Team India was successful in getting a medal in the Olympics after 41 years. Regarding the preparations for the World Cup, Harmanpreet said, “There is equal measure of hope and enthusiasm in the team. When the team bus reached Rourkela, thousands of fans turned up to welcome us. We have no words for his love. We really realized how much hockey means to the people of this region.

Harmanpreet told, “Till the time we did not reach here, we had only heard about people’s passion and love for hockey through our colleagues Neelam and Amit. From the reception we received upon our arrival, we knew this World Cup would be different.

From January 4, international teams will start arriving in Odisha for the prestigious tournament. Former runners-up the Netherlands will be the first team to arrive on Wednesday. They will be followed by Chile and defending champions Belgium on Thursday, along with world No. 1 Australia on Friday, among other teams.

Harmanpreet said, “After the 2018 World Cup at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium, every participating team went back with good memories. The crowd, the ground and the host made the last World Cup special. The atmosphere in Rourkela will be doubly exhilarating and I can’t wait for every team to experience this love of the people for hockey. Fans are going to cheer not only for India, but for every team.