Three-time champions Australia confident of reclaiming World Cup

Threetime champions and world no1 Australia are confident of reclaiming the FIH Mens Hockey World Cup to be jointly hosted by Bhubaneswar and Rourkela from January 13 to 29Australia last won the title in 2014 at The Hague Netherlands where they defended their crownIn the last World here Australia had settled for a bronze medalOur players are really excited to be here and we have big ambitions in the tournament Australia captain Eddie Ockenden said after arriving hereWe want to do well and have confidence that we will be able to win the title Our team has a lot of experience and it will be really crucial for usAustralia who begin their campaign against France here on January 13 had won their first title in 1986 defeating the hosts EnglandAlso readDefending Champions Belgium arrive in Odisha for FIH Hockey Mens World Cup 2023Australia coach Colin Batch too expressed optimism saying they have strong fundamentals to win the title this time aroundWe have a really good team and our players are prolific goal scorers which is really important as it helps you to win matchesAt the same time our defense is also really good and we often manage to restrict the opposition from scoring So our fundamentals are strong and that makes us a really good side he saidBatch said they are eager to take on hosts India in the knockout stages of the tournament if everything goes according to planOur players are also excited to face India as they are a totally different side at home They play good hockey at home and get extra motivation from the crowd It will be tough to beat India if we play against themEngland who are placed alongside India Spain and Wales in Pool D also arrived here on Friday for the marquee eventEngland whose best finish in the tournament is a silver medal in the 1986 edition will open their campaign against Wales on January 13 in RourkelaAfter that England will take on India January 15 in Rourkela before moving back to Bhubaneswar where they end their groupstage on January 19 against SpainI think we are a contender for the title There is a lot of belief in our camp as everyone is confident about their abilities and we have also trained well in the last few monthsWe went on many tours and played some top teams like the Netherlands and Argentina which has made us ready said England captain David AmesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever