FIH Men's Pro League: India vs Spain Live Updates

The 2021-22 Men FIH Pro League campaign will see India clash against Spain in two matches on 26 and 27 February respectively. India will play as the host with the venue being the reputed Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha. Following a successful sojourn for the Men in Blue in South Africa, this will be the first time that the outfit plays Pro League fixtures in India for the ongoing season.

Spain will be a tricky opponent when the two teams meet in a few days’ time. While the home advantage will give Graham Reid’s men a slight edge, it will still be a close encounter regardless. As the two-legs approach between the nations, here is a look at both teams and what is in store for the hockey enthusiasts:

Team India

The outfit currently sits at fifth place in the points table, having played lesser games than teams above them. India has three wins in four matches and will look to climb up the rankings when they face Spain during the weekend.

Until this point, India has managed two 10-2 wins over South Africa and a 5-0 win over France. In between these wins, there was a hiccup where the French decimated the team by a 5-2 scoreline. That performance was very disappointing, exposing a lot of issues in the Indian squad. However, India is still one of the contenders to win the FIH Pro League, carrying on from their historic bronze medal win at the Tokyo Olympics last year. 

Team Spain

Spain’s start to the FIH Pro League did not go according to plan, to say the least. The Europeans have two defeats from two matches. A 6-1 defeat to England was followed by another 3-2 defeat to the same opponents. 

Facing India, the challenge will be tougher for Spain. However, with the backs to the walls, they will look to cause an upset. Being the underdogs on paper, Spain will look to catch India by surprise in their own backyard. 

India Squad

PR Sreejesh, Suraj Karkera, Harmanpreet Singh, Mandeep Mor, Surender Kumar, Varun Kumar, Jarmanpreet Singh and Dipsan Tirkey, Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Hardik Singh, Jaskaran Singh, Shamsher Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Shilanand Lakra, Sukhjeet Singh, Abhishek, Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Amit Rohidas, Rajkumar Pal, Moirangthem Rabichandra Singh, Dilpreet Singh.

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