The FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela is really special for the Wales men's hockey team as it will be their first-ever prestigious tournament.
The excitement and anticipation for the mega event was evident on their faces as they made touch down at the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.
"We are really excited to come and play our first world cup in India, it really is a privilege to be here but ultimately we are here to play hockey, playing against India in front of the Indian fans is the icing on the cake," head coach Danny Newcombe was by quoted as saying by Hockey India.
The Head Coach also sounded off a warning to all the other teams in Pool D, which includes hosts India, Spain and England, saying that the Welsh team are not going to crumble under any kind of pressure.
"This player group is quite experienced, most of us have been together for almost six years and we earned the right to be here we are not here to just participate in the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela," he asserted.
Echoing the same sentiment, Wales' Captain Rupert Shipperley said that his side are keen to ensure the year begins with a bang in Odisha. Wales open their FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela campaign against England on January 13 and play Spain on January 15, both in the newly built Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium in Rourkela.
"We are here to win, it's as simple as that. We are not here to just make up the numbers, we are here to cause an upset," said Shipperley on arriving in Bhubaneswar.
The debutants had recently played the Indian Men's Hockey Team at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Birmingham, and had been handed a 4-1 defeat. However, according to Captain Shipperley, his side have worked on their game, and our ready to take on the hosts in Bhubaneswar on January 19 at the Kalinga Stadium.
"We are looking forward to playing India in front of their fans, it is going to be a special occasion. We have faced all the teams in our pool before and we know what to expect, we are just raring to go now," said Shipperley.
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor