Gurjant waiting for opportunity to play in FIH World Cup,

Bengaluru, Sep 26 (IANS) Indian men's hockey team forward Gurjant Singh is hoping to receive an opportunity to play in front of the home crowd at the FIH Odisha Hockey World Cup Bhubaneswar-Rourkela next year, and banking on the fans' support for added motivation in the global event, should he get included in the side.

Gurjant had played a vital role in India bagging silver at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games recently and he is looking forward to improving his game and making a bigger impact in the upcoming tournaments.

"Playing in the World Cup is every hockey player's dream. And I really hope I will be given the opportunity of playing the tournament at our home ground. There is always a great buzz and fanfare in Odisha. And I really hope I will be given the opportunity of playing the tournament at our home ground. There is always a great buzz and fanfare in Odisha and I am sure that the fans' support will motivate us to play at our best," said the 27-year-old forward.

Gurjant said, while it was a great honour to be a member of the side that won the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games historic bronze after more than four decades and the Commonwealth Games medal, but he is looking to make a bigger impact in upcoming tournaments.

"I am glad that I was part of the Silver medal-winning team at CWG. It's a huge honour for me to be an Olympic and CWG Medal winner. However, I have noted down the points that I need to improve on and I am determined to make an even bigger impact in tournaments such as the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela," he said.

Asked about the immediate focus of the Indian team, Gurjant said, "We are working to put up a good show at the FIH Hockey Pro League 2022-23. A good performance there will give us a huge confidence boost before the all-important FIH Men's World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela. We are looking forward to the challenge and are determined to keep getting better as a side."