Birmingham
Indian men’s hockey team will open its campaign at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games against minnows Ghana on July 31 while the women team will also square off against the same rivals on July 29.
Two-time silver medallist, Indian men are placed in a relatively easy Pool B along with side England, Canada, Wales, and Ghana while Pool A consists of six-time champions Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Scotland. The Indian women are in Pool A, which also has England, Canada, Wales, and Ghana. After Ghana, the Indian men will play hosts and last edition’s bronze winner England on August 1, followed by matches against Canada (August 3) and Wales (August 4). After Ghana, the women will play Wales on July 30, England (August 2), and Canada (August 3). The top two teams from each pool in both men’s and women’s competitions qualify for the semifinals.
The men’s semifinals will be played on August 6 and the final on August 8.
The women’s semifinals and final will be played on August 5 and 7 respectively. India will be sending its ‘A’ teams for both men and women at the Birmingham Games due to the short turnaround between CWG and the Hangzhou Asian Games, which is a qualifying tournament for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The two events will be held just 32 days apart and the national federation wants to keep its first-choice players fresh for the Asian Games.
The Birmingham CWG is scheduled to be held from July 28 till August 8. Among other matches, gold and silver medallists from Gold Coast 2018, Australia, and New Zealand, will face each other in the group stages of both the men’s and women’s tournaments. According to the competition schedule for hockey, announced on Wednesday, both the women’s and men’s competitions will begin on July 29, with the opening session of the women’s tournament featuring reigning champions New Zealand against Kenya and South Africa playing Scotland. Hosts England will face Ghana in the first match of the men’s competition with New Zealand facing Scotland in the same session.
