Hockey World Cup 2023: India are set to host the 2023 Hockey World Cup in January 2023. The Men in Blue, who finished 6th in the 2018 edition of the tournament will host the hockey action for the second consecutive time next year in January. Meanwhile, former Pakistan captain Tahir Zaman has backed the Indian team to lift the title in Odisha and end their 47-year-long wait.
Zaman, who was part of Pakistan's 1994 World Cup win has stated that India could win the Hockey World Cup next year if they can handle the pressure to be hosts. "I would say India has a good chance this time. To be honest, home ground, home crowd advantage, but they should not forget that it can also be a disadvantage. The pressure of the home crowd and local media is something they have to be careful of," Zaman said.
India stamped their presence back on the global stage when they won a medal in Olympic Games after 41 years in 2021. The Indian boys followed that historic Bronze medal with a Silver in Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022. Zaman also highlighted that India are playing consistent hockey and have everything to become World Champions. "Apart from that, playing disciplined hockey, and not getting emotional will help. I would say the consistency I have noticed in the Indian team's performance shows that they have everything that can make them the world champions this time," Zaman added.
Zaman also stated that France and South Africa are teams that make upsets. He also picked the teams to watch out for in the upcoming tournament. "France and South Africa are the kinds of teams that can make any kind of upsets. But, on the other hand, Australia, Belgium, Germany, and perhaps Argentina are big teams to watch out for. I would rate Australia and the Netherlands higher than Belgium this time. But, let's see how it goes. May the best team win the World Cup," the 1994 World Cup winner added.
The 2023 Hockey World Cup will be played in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela from January 13 to 29. Before this, India also hosted the 2018 edition of the tournament.
