Bhubaneswar, Jan. 13 -- Hosts India made a splendid start to their campaign at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 as they blanked Spain 2-0 in their first Pool D match at the spectacular crown jewel of world hockey - the Birsa Munda Stadium in Rourkela on Friday.

Playing in front of a boisterous home crowd and over 20,000 passionate global hockey fans, it took a few minutes before both teams could shake off the nerves and settle into the match. It was the last three-and-a-half minutes of the first quarter that got the Indian fans rise up on their feet when the home team unleashed a potent attack, winning back-to-back penalty corners. First it was Hardik Singh whose long scoop beat the Spanish wall of defence, landing at Shamsher ...