New Delhi, June 18 (IANS) Former India captain and the country’s most-capped hockey player Manpreet Singh has expressed confidence in the national team’s prospects at the upcoming Hockey World Cup, saying the squad has every reason to believe it can mount a strong challenge for a medal.

According to Manpreet, India’s recent performances against top international sides have boosted the team’s confidence ahead of a crucial period that also includes the FIH Pro League and the Asian Games.

“We are very excited about the World Cup and the Asian Games because the team’s performance has been very good. I personally have a lot of hope that we will perform very well in the World Cup,” Manpreet replied to IANS query in a media interaction.

The veteran midfielder believes the current Indian team has shown encouraging signs in recent outings and is steadily building momentum ahead of the marquee event.

“The team’s performance was very good. Our last match against Germany was also very good, and the team performed very well. We lost the first match against the Netherlands, but overall the team’s performance was good,” he said.

The Indian men’s hockey team produced a solid performance to defeat world champions Germany 3-1 in their second match of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2025-26 Rotterdam leg on Wednesday.

Goals from Mandeep Singh (7′), Shilanand Lakra (13′) and Nilakanta Sharma (35′) led India’s impressive win, which also highlighted the team’s strong defensive structure.

Midfielder Hardik Singh was named ‘Player of the Match’ for his excellent display in shepherding play from the midfield.

For Manpreet, the World Cup represents an opportunity for India to end a lengthy wait for success at one of hockey’s biggest tournaments.

“It is important because it has been a long time since we have won a medal in the World Cup, so it is important that we achieve that,” he added.

India will also use the upcoming Pro League matches as part of their preparations, with encounters against England and Pakistan carrying added significance as both sides are also part of India’s World Cup group.

“All three tournaments are very important for us. In the Pro League, we will play against England and Pakistan, who are also in our World Cup group. It will be a good opportunity to prepare ourselves,” Manpreet explained.

While the World Cup remains a major target, the 33-year-old also acknowledged the importance of the Asian Games, which offer direct qualification to the Olympic Games.

“The Asian Games are very important because qualification for the Olympics is at stake there,” he said.

With 413 international appearances, Manpreet now sits fifth on the all-time list of men’s international caps, behind Belgium’s John-John Dohmen (481), the Netherlands’ Teun de Nooijer (453), Australia’s Eddie Ockenden (451), and Great Britain’s Barry Middleton (432).

–IANS

sds/