Ahead of his side's Pool D match against hosts India in the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup, England skipper David Ames said there is a lot of respect between both the sides and his team is looking forward to the match.
England started off their World Cup campaign with a thumping 5-0 win over Wales. India also clinched a 2-0 win over Spain in their campaign opener. Both teams will lock horns on Sunday at Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium, Rourkela.
"It will be pretty special to play in front of 20 thousand fans. We have done enough home work. What we do in between the white lines is the first and foremost thing for us. It is a big game on Sunday. We are looking forward to it," said David during a press conference after win over Wales.
On the team's rivalry with India, which has produced some exciting contests in Tokyo Olympics 2020, Commonwealth Games 2022 and FIH Pro League, Ames said that both teams are really close.
"There is a lot of respect between both squads. A lot of battles have taken place between both sides in Tokyo and Commonwealth Games and Sunday would be no different. We are looking forward to it. It is going to be a nice occasion and something we need to do to get those three points," said the skipper.
Notably, India and England battled to a thrilling 4-4 draw in CWG games last year in Birmingham. India ended up winning the silver medal while England took home the Bronze.
David said that his side does not want to worry about topping the pool and aims to play properly for each game and take every game like any other match that they need to win.
"We have Spain as well who are probably just as good who can turn up on the day and put anyone to the swords. We on Sunday are probably going to make sure that we are prepared and ready for the next game," he added.
England put in a clinical performance to defeat Wales 5-0. It began their 2023 Hockey World Cup campaign with a win in the Group D encounter at the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium in Rourkela on Friday.
The team led by Ames David put in a dominant display to secure a formidable win. Park Nicholas' field goal gave England an early advantage in the first minute of play, and they added one goal each in the first and second quarters.
After the break, the English team scored twice in the third quarter. Ansell Liam helped England increase their lead to 3-0 by successfully converting two penalty corners on either side of halftime (at 27' and 37'). Field goals from Roper Phil (41') and Bandurak Nicholas (57') helped the English team finish 5-0.
The Wales team was making their debut at the Hockey World Cup and English team dictated the terms during the match.
( With inputs from ANI )
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