The England men's hockey team landed in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, on Wednesday (March 30) ahead of a two-legged tie against India in the FIH Pro League 2021/22.
India are currently in second place in the table with 16 points after five wins from eight matches. Meanwhile, England are in seventh position with six points from two wins and two losses each so far.
England Head Coach Zak Jones spoke about playing at the Kalinga Stadium, which will also be the venue for the 2023 Men's Hockey World Cup.
Upon the team's arrival in India, he said:
"We are really excited and looking forward to playing at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium. Few of the guys have played here before and they know a bit of a challenge because India are a good side at the moment. I think we have got a lot of guys who haven't been here before, so yeah really excited to come out here and play at this stadium, and also get ready for the 2023 World Cup."
Jones also spoke about his team's performance so far in the hockey tournament.
"I think we have performed really well so far. We are sort of building game-to-game, and it's really important that we take that momentum and look to get as many results as possible in the Pro League."
Skipper Tom Sorsby talks about his team's preparations
England skipper Tom Sorsby, meanwhile, talked about leading a new team and their keenness to gather valuable experience while playing in India ahead of the 2023 World Cup.
Sorsby said:
"We are quite a new team, so not necessarily in preparations for India, but this group has got some good experience in the Pro League recently. And, I think all the experience we get here will be valuable, especially between now and coming back here for the World Cup."
Sorsby further spoke about the challenge of playing India at home. He said:
"India have been playing really well, they have got some great results. We know they are going to be a tough team to play against, but it's a challenge that we are really looking forward to taking on. It's not often that you get to come out to play in India against the home team, so just looking forward to the challenge they are going to give us."
FIH Pro League: Schedule & Match Timings
India will take on England in FIH Pro League matches at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar on April 2 and 3.
Match: India vs England, Match 1
Date: April 2, 2022 Timings: 7:30 PM IST
Match: India vs England, Match 2
Date: April 3, 2022 Timings: 7:30 PM IST
Streaming details:
All FIH Pro League 2022 matches are being telecast live on Star Sports Select 2 and Star Sports Select 2 HD channels. Matches are also available for live streaming on the Hotstar app.
Also read: FIH Women's Junior World Cup 2022: Team India's schedule, timings and streaming details