Johannesburg: Forced to play the event after losing out on an automatic spot in next year's Champions Trophy hockey tournament, erstwhile champions India would be desperate to open their Champions Challenge campaign on a perfect note against a tricky Belgium here tomorrow. As hosts, earlier India were to feature in the eight-nation Champions Trophy, before the tournament was shifted to New Zealand by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) citing problems with the governance of the sport in the country amidst the ongoing rift between two national bodies — Hockey India and Indian Hockey Federation.
The Tribune