Manpreet led side their campaign in a grand style walloping Ghana 11-0 in their opening match.

The second match against England turned out to be an edge of the seat affair with India at one stage leading 4-1 but then the hosts staged a dramatic comeback to level it 4-4 and shared the points.

“Our resounding win against Ghana was the perfect way to start our Commonwealth Games campaign. Though we are a little bit disappointed about our performance against England, there are several takeaways from that match for us particularly when it comes to discipline and not letting our guard down when we have a good lead on board,” Vice-Captain Harmanpreet Singh told Hockey India in Birmingham.

Admitting that , “Canada is a tough opponent," Harmanpreet said " it has been a while since we faced them in any official tournament, but our game plan is clear and the players are ready to execute it perfectly as our preparations for this game have been rigorous. We are confident that we will do well and book our spot in the next round of the tournament.”

The last time the India took on Canada was at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup back in 2019, where they overpowered Canada 7-3.