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The Argentinian men's hockey team landed in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, on Saturday (March 13), to face hosts India in two matches, as part of the FIH Pro League, at the iconic Kalinga Hockey Stadium.
Earlier, the FIH Pro League matches between India and Germany were canceled owing to a spike in number of COVID-19 cases in the German camp. The matches were scheduled to be held on March 12 and 13.
The Indian hockey team has had a mixed bag of results in the ongoing FIH Pro League with 4 wins and 2 losses from 6 matches.
Speaking ahead of their match against India, Argentina head coach Mariano Ronconi said:
"It is always a great pleasure to play here at the iconic Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. It is also always a very good challenge to play against a team like India. We hope to deliver good performances in the upcoming two matches."
Argentina won one out of their two matches against Belgium in the FIH Pro League 2021/22 in February, and continued their winning streak in both their matches against England.
Speaking about the team's preparedness ahead of the clash against India, coach Ronconi added:
"We have had a couple of months of training together. The team has been very good and everyone in the team is always willing to play. We have performed well so far in the FIH Pro League 2021/22. Of course, there are always things to work and improve on. Our main objective is to build a new and competitive team, and we are moving in the right direction."
Ronconi also went on to praise the Indian players for their speed, skill, and tenacity. He added:
"India have been coming strong over the last few years. They have also been getting some good results in every tournament they have played in. India have fast and very skillful players and they are also very strong on penalty corners. We expect to play our own game, and keep growing as a team. Hopefully, we will switch on our defensive and offensive systems well and get the points.
FIH Pro League: Schedule & Match Timings
Match: India vs Argentina, Match 1
Date: March 19, 2022 Timings: 7:30 PM IST
Match: India vs Argentina, Match 2
Date: March 20, 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.
