Bhubaneswar, Dec 26 (IANS): With less then three weeks to go for the start of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela, the chief coach of the Indian men's hockey team Graham Reid advised his players not to get caught up in the moment but rather to move on quickly and think about the next thing they have to do.
The World Cup, the fourth time India is hosting the event, will be held at Bhubaneswar and Rourkela from January 13 to 29.
Reid, whose record of achievements includes playing for Australia in the 1990 World Cup and being part of the coaching staff for his home team in 2010 and 2014 when they lifted the World Cup trophy. He was also part of the coaching staff for silver medal-winning the Netherlands in the 2018 World Cup in Bhubaneswar.
One thing that Reid is extremely familiar with from his past experiences at this prestigious event is that players tend to get caught up in the moment -- whether it is good or bad -- and his advice is for them to move on quickly.
"You sort of get caught up in the moment when you play an event of this magnitude. It could get quite daunting when you lose the ball, or concede a goal. It is important to develop 'the next thing' mentality. You can't change what happened so you just move on to the next task at hand, stay focused on what's to be done," Reid was quoted as saying by Hockey India in a release on Monday.
Asked who he would pick as top contenders in the FIH Odisha Hockey Mencs World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela, Reid admitted to the highly competitive nature of the tournament with the top eight teams who could beat anyone on a given day.
"It is so difficult to pick a team. If I think about it today, I could pick Australia, Belgium and India; and tomorrow I could come back with Netherlands, Germany and India. Of course, I would put India in the top three because if we play well, we have a good opportunity to get there. Any of these top eight can win this World Cup. It is both daunting and exciting at the same time," stated Reid as he signed off.
India are in Group D along with England, Spain and Wales in the 16-team competition and will be opening their campaign against Spain at the newly-constructed Birsa Munda International Stadium in Rourkela on January 13.
India won their first and only World Cup title in 1975 in the third edition at Kuala Lumpur, beating Pakistan in the final. Since then, India have failed to reach the semifinals.