Sportstar Cover Jan 21 2023.jpg

For the first time since 1982, India will go into the men’s hockey World Cup as an Olympic medallist. ‘If we can do it at the Olympics, we can do it at the World Cup,’ seems to be the overwhelming narrative.

In this issue

21-01-202320 STORIES

England finished fifth in the 2018 FIH World Cup.

FIH World Cup, Group D: No clear favourites in group of death

Group D, also featuring host India, has been touted as the toughest in the 16-team tournament with three of the four teams close to each other in the

Preparations in full swing: Players of Indian hockey team on their arrival in Bhubaneswar for the World Cup.

FIH World Cup: 47 years and counting...will India break the jinx?

For the first time since 1982, India will go into the World Cup as an Olympic medallist. ‘If we can do it at the Olympics, we can do it at the World C

Graham Reid...“There’s a very fine line between having confidence and going over. I do think we can win this World Cup, but we need to be playing at our best. That is the focus for me and whatever else happens then, that’s life.”

Hockey World Cup: We need to play at our best to win, says India coach Graham Reid

There are no easy groups in World Cups and Olympics, admits India coach Graham Reid in this interview. Expectations from the team have certainly grown

The Netherlands finished as the runner-up in the 2018 World Cup.

FIH World Cup, Group C: Netherlands the hot favourite to qualify

Although it is fielding a relatively young side, reigning European champion the Netherlands (World Rank 3) goes in as outright favourite to top Group

The home of hockey: The Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, one of the venues of the FIH World Cup. The cross-overs, quarterfinals, semifinals and the final will be held here.

FIH World Cup: Odisha decked up for grand festival of hockey

Odisha has made plans for a bigger and better festival of hockey than in 2018.

Belgium won the World Cup in 2018.

FIH World Cup, Group B: Expect a strong Asian challenge for Belgium, Germany

The FIH rankings suggest this is the strongest group in the competition with defending champion Belgium and a heavyweight Germany in the mix. While th

High on confidence: Harmanpreet Singh reacts after scoring a goal during the Test series against Australia in Adelaide in November, 2022. The India captain says his team wishes to make the best use of home advantage and come up trumps in Odisha.

FIH World Cup: Harmanpreet Singh on captaincy, expectations and lessons from CWG

New Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh interprets ‘pressure’ as ‘responsibility’. He says the confidence of the Indian team has grown after winning the

Australia won the bronze medal in the 2018 Hockey World Cup.

FIH World Cup, Group A: Australia, Argentina the heavyweights

While Australia and Argentina will try to live up to the billing, France and South Africa will be keen to realise their potential and make an impact i

The Indian hockey team for the second hockey World Cup in Amstelveen, the Netherlands. India lost in the final to the Netherlands.

Down hockey memory lane: Former stalwarts look back at India’s key World Cup moments

Five former players flip through the history of India’s roller-coaster ride in the five-decade-old hockey World Cup.

A scientific approach: A personalised diet plan is important for an athlete to get the most out of his/her diet. Various diagnostic tests are require to arrive at a meal plan that suits the requirements of the athlete.

Stick to your diet resolution in 2023

Having a sports diet plan in place is easy. Following it is difficult. Mindset change can work wonders: if athletes realise that their body is like a

Rishabh Pant comes down the track during his innings of 92 in the second Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka. Pant hits a six every 23 balls in Test matches.

Statsman: Pant becomes eighth Indian batter to hit 50 or more sixes in Tests

Rishabh Pant has the highest innings per six ratio (0.42) among the eight Indian batters with 50 or more sixes in their Test careers.

Heroes: People throng the streets of Buenos Aires to see Messi & Co. tour on an open-top bus parade. The bus taking the world champions to the city centre could move only 12 kilometres in four hours.

FIFA World Cup crown brings Argentina to a standstill

Ten days after the victory in Qatar, traffic is just as bad in Argentina and arguments as unfriendly as ever. Yet, a profound change is felt: Lionel M

Job done: Jessel Carneiro (left) and Pedro Martin clash during the ISL match in Kochi on Boxing Day. Blasters’ 1-0 win made the coach happy. Ivan Vukomanovic did not want his team’s intensity to soften during the festive season.

ISL notebook: Festive season a ‘difficult phase’ for football teams

How to go all out amidst a festive spirit everywhere? The Christmas-New Year period is when many teams from football leagues around the world start to

Top pick: Englishman Sam Curran became the most expensive buy ever in the history of the Indian Premier League. Punjab Kings bought him for ₹18.50 crore at the mini-auction.

IPL mini-auction: Five takeaways

As expected, England’s cricketers were in high demand in the IPL auction held in Kochi on December 23. Almost 1/3rd of the total money spent during th

Relentless: Marcus Rashford scored in both of Manchester United’s games after restart. Here, he celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

European Leagues: Rashford among the goals in bright restart for Manchester United

Marcus Rashford scored in both of Manchester United’s wins after the resumption of the Premier League. And just 11 days after scoring in the World Cup

Invincible: Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards go up in appeal during West Indies’ tour of India in 1983. The West Indies have always been a formidable team, but the one that Lloyd moulded into a ruthless winning machine was a team everyone wanted to avoid.

Sunil Gavaskar: Cricket boards should scrap retainer system, introduce performance-based fee structure to incentivise players

Today, the West Indies players who are contracted to their Board get the amount they have signed for regardless of the number of games they play. Know

Joy giver: Pele’s exuberance and smile stayed with him for life.

Pele, the light-footed wizard who charmed the world with ethereal artistry

Some individuals can elicit emotions and wonders that otherwise remain dormant in the depths of the human heart. The diminutive Pele was one such man,

Football great Pele playing against the Mohun Bagan football team at the Eden Gardens on September 24, 1977.

Pele in Kolkata: When the emperor took on Mohun Bagan in the City of Joy

Pele’s passing away on Friday has refreshed the vivid images of his much-celebrated visit with the New York Cosmos team, which played an exhibition ma

A handout picture released by the Qatar Creates shows FIFA ambassador British football legend David Beckham attending a special screening of a TV series dubbed “Save our Squad” in Doha on December 14, 2022.

FIFA World Cup: Real privilege to be here and see the level of football in Qatar, says Beckham

David Beckham chose the Argentina vs Netherlands quarterfinal match as his favourite, and said Luis Chavez’s freekick strike against Saudi Arabia was

Recruited by Monmouth University in the USA, Amaan Sandhu hopes to find better success in making it to the NBA than the Indians who tried before him.

Meet Amaan Sandhu, 19-year-old Indian basketball player shooting for NBA via NCAA

With the ultimate goal being the NBA, a number of Indian players have attempted to realise the dream but with little success. Amaan Sandhu hopes that

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