The captain of the Indian men’s hockey team described the atmosphere in the locker room at the world-class Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium with just nine days till the commencement of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela.India is expected to place third as the hosts, and expectations are much higher this time around because to the team’s outstanding performance at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, where they won the Bronze Medal and ended a 41-year wait to stand on the podium once more.
Both excitement and anticipation are present, according to Harmanpreet. “There were thousands of fans who thronged the streets with tri-color flags and cheered for us as they welcomed us into their home town when the team bus entered Rourkela city and drove closer to the hockey facility. The gesture left us completely stunned, and it was at that moment that we truly understood how important hockey is to the people in this area, according to the ace dragflicker.
Harmanpreet continued, “Until we arrived here, we had only heard about the passion and love people have for hockey here through our teammates Nilam and Amit, but it was only after we witnessed the reception we received on our arrival that we realised this World Cup experience will be unlike any other.”