India hosted the World Cup in 2018 in Odisha’s Bhubaneswar, and the team got an automatic qualification for the quadrennial tournament.
With home support behind the ‘Men in Blue’, India was expected to make a daring attempt at winning the title. The team was pitted in Pool C with Belgium, South Africa and Canada.
It started the campaign with a 5-0 win over South Africa. This was followed by a 2-2 draw against Belgium, the toughest opponent in the Pool. The group stage ended on a high for India as it beat Canada 5-1.
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It ended the group stage at the top spot and made it to the quarterfinals. It faced Netherlands, which had made it via the crossover route, in the last eight round.
India lost the quarterfinal 1-2 against the Dutch and that was the end of its campaign in 2018. India ended in the sixth position, based on the total points it earned in the tournament.
Here are India’s results from the tournament:
India results - 2018 FIH World Cup Bhubaneswar
India will again be expected to perform in 2023 with the World Cup being hosted in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. India will be facing Wales, England and Spain in Pool D.
India starts its campaign on January 13 against Spain.
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