Veteran hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh on Friday said that the Indian team is placed in a great pool for the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023.
However, the hockey star said that India will not take any team for granted in the prestigious tournament.
The Indian team have been drawn in Pool D with England, Spain and Wales for the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela, scheduled to be played from January 13-29 2023.
"So it's a great Pool. Sapin and England are one of the toughest favourites in the World Cup, it is going to be a wonderful start for us as we move forward for the quarterfinal and semifinal stages," PR Sreejesh told ANI.
"Definitely, you cannot take them for granted. Because even in the Commonwealth Games they showed a wonderful performance. These three teams are going to keep us on our toes. We will have to play hard to reach the quarterfinals and then the semifinals. So it will be a wonderful tournament for us," he further added.
Sreejesh, who has been nominated for the FIH Men's Goalkeeper of the Year Award 2021-22, credited collective team effort for his nomination for the award.
"I am really proud and honoured because you are getting the recognition showcasing that you have done something great. And definitely, we have a great team otherwise this would not have happened. The nomination you get or your team members get because of the collective efforts of the team members and the performance. So definitely it a great and proud moment for me and my team," said the star goalkeeper.
Sreejesh was a part of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics bronze medal-winning as well as the 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medal Indian team.
The star goalkeeper was awarded the 'World Games Athlete of the Year 2021' award for his outstanding performance in 2021. He became the second Indian player to receive this award.
( With inputs from ANI )
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