'Our consistency will be put to test in FIH Pro League'

Bhubaneswar: India's consistency will be put to test in the second edition of the FIH Pro League, said captain Manpreet Singh whose team will make its debut against the Netherlands here in January next year.

The Indian men's hockey team will open its campaign in the FIH Pro League against the Netherlands here on January 18 and 19. India will then host world champions Belgium on February 8 and 9, followed by two more home fixtures against Australia on February 22 and 23.

"I think the team has grown steadily in this past year with a number of youngsters getting very good international exposure. We have a good pool of players who can be further tested during the Hockey Pro League," Manpreet said.

"Although we have maintained our world ranking at no. 5, our consistency will be put to test during the Hockey Pro League where we play top teams like Netherlands, Belgium and Australia in the first three months of the season," added the midfielder.

The Indian team will then play away games in Germany (April 25 and 26) and Great Britain (May 2 and 3) before returning to play at home on May 23 and 24 against New Zealand before travelling to Argentina to play on June 5 and 6.

India will play the last leg of the Pro League round-robin matches in Spain on June 13 and 14.

Manpreet was delighted that India will be hosting back-to-back World Cups and said his side would try their level best to double up the joy by lifting the title in 2023.