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Neeraj Bagga
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, November 24
The 24-member Pakistan hockey team crossed over to India through the Attari-Wagah joint checkpost to take part in the 2018 hockey World Cup starting in Bhubaneswar from November 28. Member of Parliament Gurjeet Singh Aujla welcomed the visitors at the border.
Pakistan team manager Hasan Sardar said, though Pakistan hockey team was world No. 13, its blend of youngsters and senior players could pull a surprise. He added that the players would certainly be a force to reckon with in the tourney.
Exuding confidence, goalkeeper Imran Butt said all players were keen on leaving the history behind and focusing on the World Cup, in which Pakistan had an enviable record. Pakistan have won the title four times and claimed silver twice. Pakistan are placed in Group D alongside the Netherlands, Germany and Malaysia. The team later departed for Bhubaneswar, where it arrived in the evening via Delhi.
We've to perform at our best: oz captain
Bhubaneswar: Australia captain Aran Zalewski believes it will be one of the most open men's hockey World Cups in recent times and his team will have to test themselves against the best to defend the title. “World hockey is close at the moment and very competitive and any team can win. Obviously, India at home with home crowd will be very tough to beat,” said Zalewski after arriving here with his team. “We have a chance to test ourselves against the best in the world as we haven't tested ourselves since the Rio Olympics so we want to do very well here,” he added. It is a sort of homecoming for Australia, who had claimed the Champions Trophy in 2014 and the Hockey World League Final in 2017 here. — PTI