Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], January 14 : The Indian men's hockey team in the wee hours of Sunday morning commenced their journey from Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru to Cape Town where they will play against France, South Africa and the Netherlands during their South Africa tour between January 22-28.
The Indian Men's Hockey Team, which is ranked third in the world, will take on ninth-ranked France on January 22 in their first game before playing them again on January 24. They will then play hosts South Africa, which is ranked 14th in the world, on January 26 before playing the Netherlands, the number-one ranked team, in their final game of the tour on January 28, as per a press release from Hockey India.
With Captain Harmanpreet Singh leading the charge and FIH Player of the Year 2023 Hardik Singh playing his deputy, the Indian team boasts a rich blend of youth and experience and will look to make full use of the tour to build on their quality of hockey in the year of the Olympics.
Before hopping on the flight from Bengaluru, Captain Harmanpreet Singh said, "It is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to work on our game together as a unit while playing against some of the best teams in the world. We have had a preparatory camp in Bengaluru where everyone has developed clarity on their roles. There are a few youngsters who have been added to the squad so it will be great to see how they complement our team going forward, especially with the Olympics nearing."
Vice-Captain Hardik Singh echoed his captain's thoughts, saying, "We have a big squad and are quite excited about the prospect of playing against top-quality international teams going into the season. It is the year of the Olympics and we would like for everyone to get the required exposure as we continue our bid to go from strength to strength at the international level."
The Indian men's hockey team will begin their South African tour against France on January 22 at 1430 IST.
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