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15-12-201843 STORIES

Hockey fans take a selfie with the World Cup campaign signboard in the background near the entrance gate of the Vani Vihar University campus in Bhubaneswar.

India is capable of springing a surprise

The Indian team’s success will not depend just on the end results. It has to perform to its potential in the pool matches.

The Indian team with the cup after winning the T20 series against the West Indies at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on November 11.

Whitewashes in T20Is

The youngest Indians to score fifties in T20I cricket and more. Plus, your queries answered.

Belgium’s Arthur Van Doren (centre, in red) completed the rare double in 2017 of winning the FIH Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year.

Hockey World Cup 2018: A clearer hierarchy in Pool C

Belgium is clearly the favourite in Pool C at Hockey World Cup 2018. India will not have an easy route to the knockouts as both Canada and South Afric

Belgium’s growth in stature, specially given the tough competition in Europe, has been accompanied by a collection of trophies.

Hockey World Cup 2018: Belgium a very serious medal contender

The growth in stature of Belgian hockey has been accompanied by a collection of trophies. Belgium heads into Hockey World Cup 2018 ranked as the world

Canada has some experienced hands in its line-up including captain Scott Tupper (centre), the most experienced of them all with more than 250 international caps.

Hockey World Cup 2018: Canada a thorn in India's side

In Pool C of Hockey World Cup 2018, India will be wary of Canada as it has the potential to pull off upsets.

India is hosting its second World Cup in eight years.

Hockey World Cup 2018: A chance for India to prove itself

Hockey World Cup 2018 is as much about Indian hockey attempting to showcase its rising power and position in world hockey as about the FIH wanting to

South Africa has a mix of new talent and experienced players including captain Tim Drummond.

Hockey World Cup 2018: A welcome return for South Africa

South Africa was unable to participate at 2016 Rio, only the second time it had missed the Olympics after Sydney in 2000 since returning to internatio

Despite a superior win record against all the teams in its pool, two-time champion Germany has had a series of underwhelming results in the past two years.

Hockey World Cup 2018: ‘D’ is for death

Pool D form book for Hockey World Cup 2018: Germany has had a lacklustre year-and-a-half, Pakistan’s preparations have been in shambles. But the Nethe

Samarnath Soory

Striker Florian Fuchs will be crucial for Germany’s fortunes in the World Cup.

Hockey World Cup 2018: Germany looks to overcome missed chances

Germany has gone through a rough phase, but it has traditionally performed well at the Hockey World Cup. Few will write the team off in the 2018 editi

Samarnath Soory

Striker Jeroen Hertzberger (centre) is just six shy of 100 international goals.

Hockey World Cup 2018: Netherlands a strong contender

Despite narrowly missing out on a place in the Champions Trophy final in July, the Netherlands’ unique brand of high-pressing hockey makes it a favour

Samarnath Soory

After retiring, former India captain Dilip Tirkey became the poster boy for Odisha hockey. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha as a Biju Janata Dal nominee in 2012.

It all began in Sundargarh!

As Odisha capital Bhubaneswar readies to host the Men’s Hockey World Cup 2018, the game is the flavour of the season in the state.

Ipsit Mohapatra

The Kalinga hockey stadium in Bhubaneswar looks spic and span before the World Cup.

Hockey World Cup 2018: Sounding the boards, loud and clear

The people of Bhubaneswar have proved their love for hockey twice over already in the last four years, and Hockey World Cup 2018 gives them another ch

Naveen Patnaik, the chief minister of Odisha, unveils the men’s hockey World Cup trophy at the Kalinga Stadium. Odisha is promoting sport big time.

Affording sport an exalted status!

Sports is beyond politics, it's about building a healthy and fit society, says Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik as his state plays host to Hockey

Ipsit Mohapatra

Pakistan reached six of the first eight World Cup finals, but it hit a low when it failed to make it to the 2014 edition.

Hockey World Cup 2018: A long drought for Pakistan

Since it lifted the 1994 Hockey World Cup trophy in Sydney, Pakistan has failed to manage a podium finish in the competition they helped create.

Samarnath Soory

Manpreet Singh (centre) says playing at home is a big advantage for the team, and many of its members have played in Bhubaneswar a lot in the last few years.

Manpreet Singh: Only target is to play as a unit

That is the most important thing in any team sport and that is my only target, says India captain Manpreet Singh in an interview ahead of the hockey W

With HIL, confidence has increased both for national and non-national players, says Harendra Singh.

Harendra Singh: Zero margin of error in a quarterfinal

The quarterfinals decide whether you get a medal or bow out of the race, and if we go past that, India wouldn’t look back, says national coach Harendr

Blake Govers (left) says he enjoyed his time in Bhubaneswar at the HWL Finals last year.

Blake Govers: Winning two World Cups is a big deal

Blake Govers’ brother Kieran won two World Cups, the first in New Delhi at roughly the same age the Australian is now, and he says he would like to st

The Pakistan skipper says: “The way we have trained, I am confident of the team’s success.'

Muhammad Rizwan: We stayed focused and did not stop training

With uncertainty about Pakistan making it to the World Cup, captain Muhammad Rizwan Sr told his players that it didn’t matter if they went to India or

Maybe because of the recent results, a few people might say that Argentina are the favourites, says Peillat.

Gonzalo Peillat: We’ve never been afraid of pressure

As Argentina looks to improve on its third-place finish at the 2014 World Cup, Gonzalo Peillat speaks about his team’s ambitions, his role as a penalt

Can the Irish men emulate the women’s side that reached the final of the World Cup in August? The men certainly can take some inspiration from the women.

Hockey World Cup 2018: Ireland no threat to other teams in Pool B

But Dutch coach Alexander Cox, who won a World Cup with the Netherlands women’s team, has expressed satisfaction with his Hockey World Cup 2018 squad.

K. Keerthivasan

Coach Danny Kerry has refused to make any predictions, saying that the margins between the teams like England and a top team such as Australia is small.

Hockey World Cup 2018: England looks to bridge the gap to big teams

One problem is that people put teams like the Netherlands and Belgium on a pedestal and we need to stop that, says England coach Danny Kerry ahead of

K. Keerthivasan

No doubt this will be momentous World Cup for China, which qualified for the first time in its history. At best, it can hope to put up a tough fight against Ireland.

Hockey World Cup 2018: A big moment in history for China

China has qualified for the Hockey World Cup first time in its history. What can one expect from a team whose best effort at the international level h

K. Keerthivasan

Australia joint captain Eddie Ockenden (centre).

Hockey World Cup 2018: Australia on a roll

Australia has won the Hockey World League in Bhubaneswar in 2017 and gold medals at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, the Commonwealth Games at home and the

K. Keerthivasan

Having six players with more than 100 international appearances each, Australia is well and truly equipped to retain its crown.

Hockey World Cup 2018: A cakewalk for Australia

Grouped with China, England and Ireland in Pool B, the Olympic, World Cup and Champions Trophy winner will doubtless have an easy way to the quarterfi

K. Keerthivasan

Malaysia placed at the bottom, 12th, at the 2014 World Cup, but the team has come a long way since then and emerged as one of the top teams from Asia.

Hockey World Cup 2018: Malaysia has come a long way

Malaysia will look to feed off its silver medal success at the 2018 Asian Games, and upstage the more fancied teams in it's pool at the Hockey World C

Samarnath Soory

Australian players celebrate holding the trophy after winning the men's final of the Field Hockey World Cup between Australia and The Netherlands in The Hague, Netherlands, Sunday, June 15, 2014. Australia beat the Netherlands with a 6-1 score. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)

2014: It was a learning process

A first person account of the 2014 hockey World Cup.

V. R. Raghunath

The Aussies do a lap of honour after emerging victorious in 2010.

2010: We failed to build on the momentum

A first person account of the 2010 hockey World Cup.

Tushar Khandker

Germany, down 1-3 with hardly 15 minutes left for the close, went full throttle to swamp the Aussies with three goals in front of a raucous home crowd.

2006: Sliding into mediocrity

A first person account of the 2006 hockey World Cup.

Viren Rasquinha

Oliver Domke of Germany, who scored the match-winner, weaves past Australia’s Bevan George and Scott Webster (20) in the final.

2002: We were inconsistent

A first person account of the 2002 hockey World Cup.

Baljit Singh Saini

Teun de Nooijer of the Netherlands exults after scoring the golden goal in the final against Spain. The Netherlands won 3-2.

1998: A bitter experience

A first person account of the 1998 hockey World Cup.

Argentina is facing the expectations associated with being the world No. 2 side, which consists of well-known players such as Pedro Ibarra (left).

Hockey World Cup 2018: Argentina looks to add World Cup to Olympic title

Argentina, which will have a majority of the 2016 Olympic gold medallists as the core of the side, is at the peak of its fitness going into the Hockey

A jubilant Pakistan team celebrates with the World Cup in Sydney after defeating the Netherlands 5-4 in the final.

1994: We had a good chance...

A first person account of the 1994 hockey World Cup.

The Blues did their final preparations for the World Cup between October 30 and November 14, playing matches in South Africa and Belgium.

Hockey World Cup 2018: France can play party-spoiler for major teams

France, ranked 20th in the world, qualified for the Hockey World Cup 2018 after taking seventh place in the Hockey World League and getting some help

The Netherlands had the best team among the participating nations and deservedly won the title.

1990: A very, very hostile crowd

A first person account of the 1990 hockey World Cup:

Australia won its first World Cup defeating England 2-1 at Willesden, London, in October 1986.

1986: Chopping and changing affected form

A first person account of the 1986 hockey World Cup.

Joaquim Carvalho

The German goalkeeper s bewildered by this Manzoor (Jr) effort, which fetched the second goal for Pakistan in the final. Pakistan won the match 3-1.

1981-82: Fifth place, a poor consolation

A first person account of the 1981-82 hockey World Cup.

A week’s exposure in Bhubaneswar before the World Cup would have helped Spain to acclimatise to the conditions.

Hockey World Cup 2018: Spain expected to spring a surprise

Spain has always been a side that provides thrills for the spectators with the team's ability to punch above its weight and it will be among the team'

Shahnaz did the bulk of the scoring for Pakistan at Buenos Aires in Argentina.

1978: A debacle followed by a calamity

A first person account of the 1978 World Cup.

The triumphant Indian hockey team after conquering the world.

1975: Bringing joy and glory to the nation

A first person account of the 1975 World Cup

The Indians scored against the Netherlands in the final, but lost the match in the tie-breaker.

1973: We had the best ever combination

A first person account of the 1973 World Cup.

Pakistan skipper Khalid Mahmood receives the trophy.

1971: Our fans wanted nothing but gold!

A first person account of the 1971 World Cup. India finished third after losing to eventual champion Pakistan in the semifinals.

Charles Cornelius

New Zealand will be led by experienced defender Blair Tarrant (centre), who is making a comeback after missing the Commonwealth Games due to injury.

Hockey World Cup 2018: New Zealand hopes to fare better this time

New Zealand has finished seventh four times — in 1973, 1975, 1982 and 2014 — at the World Cup, never being able to realise its potential. Will the sid

Argentina sprung a surprise two years ago in Rio de Janeiro by breaking pattern and winning its maiden Olympic gold medal.

Hockey World Cup 2018: Thrills aplenty ahead in Pool A

World No. 2 Argentina is the favourite in Pool A of the Hockey World Cup 2018, but Spain and New Zealand are strong teams in their own right. Added to

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