A relatively new-look India would be gunning for glory on home turf under new coach Terry Walsh in the inaugural Hero Hockey World League Final where the team will open its campaign against higher-ranked England at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, here tomorrow.
The tournament will provide India a perfect build up for the World Cup to be held later this year at The Hague, Netherlands.
With the world's top seven teams in fray here, India could not have asked for better preparation for the quadrennial event.
India should consider itself lucky to be one of the participating teams in the HWL Final. Having failed to qualify directly, India managed a place in the event by the virtue of being the host.
India is also slated to host the prestigious Champions Trophy later this year and now it is high time the past masters of the game take advantage of these big-ticket opportunities.
The HWL Final will provide the Sardar Singh-led side an opportunity to prove to the world that Indian hockey is on course to regaining its past glory.
Apart from the silver medal in the Asia Cup, India didn't have anything major to show in 2013.
The Indians finished a disappointing sixth in the HWL semi-finals in Rotterdam, but the HWL Final provides the eight-time Olympic champions a perfect stage to prove their detractors wrong.
But for that, they will have to overpower formidable opponents such as Germany, Australia and Netherlands.
India are placed in Pool A along side reigning Olympic champions and world number one Germany, world No. 4 England and seventh-ranked New Zealand. Pool B consists of Australia, Netherlands, Belgium and Argentina.
