Excited, nervous for Hockey World Cup 2023: Abhishek

A relatively new addition to the Indian men’s hockey team, young forward Abhishek is all set to make an impression at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela, starting from January 13, 2023. The 23-year-old, who made his debut in the previous season of the FIH Hockey Pro League, said, “Playing for India at a home World Cup is a dream come true for me.” “There is a lot of excitement, but at the same time, I am a bit nervous too. This will not only be my first World Cup, but also my first experience playing in front of a huge crowd. People of Odisha are very passionate about hockey, and it will be a great experience for me to play in front of them,” Hockey India quoted Abhishek as saying. Abhishek’s hockey journey began in Sonepat, Haryana at the age of 11 when he saw his friends playing the sport in his school. The son of an Army man honed his skills under his school teacher and coach Shamsher Singh. “After starting from my school, I got selected in the National Hockey Academy, Delhi, and after playing for Haryana in the national championships between 2013-2015, I earned my call-up for the Junior Camp,” he stated. Abhishek was part of the Indian team that won the 2016 U-18 Asian Cup in Bangladesh. He scored the winning goal in the team’s 5-4 win against the hosts in the Final. However, the forward couldn’t progress further and was dropped from the junior national camp. “I missed out on making the 2016 Junior World Cup squad as I was relatively young, and was dropped from the junior national camp. It was a big disappointment for me,” he reflected.