Rourkela, Jan 13: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday announced Rs. 10 lakh reward each for Indian players hailing from Odisha participating in the FIH Odisha Men's Hockey World Cup, Amit Rohidas and Nilam Sanjeep Xess. Both Rohidas and Xess made it to the Indian team that will begin its campaign against Spain on Friday. Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Rohidas is also a deputy to Indian team captain Harmanpreet Singh. He has 127 caps to his name, but the defender is always used as an alternative during penalty corners and has scored 18 international goals so far. From Sachin Tendulkar to Sunil Chhetri, Sportspersons Send Good Luck Wishes to Indian Men’s Hockey Team Ahead of FIH WC 2023 Match Against Spain (Check Posts).

Guarding the goal in defence with Rohidas will be local lad Sanjeep Xess. With 30 international caps and five goals Sanjeep Xess, who hails from Kadobahal village, a few kilometres away from the World Cup venue, will look to enthuse the home crowd with his presence at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela. It will be a proud moment for Sundargarh, 'the Cradle of Hockey', when the two players get down to the middle of the pitch wearing Indian colours. The crowd at Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela is surely going to get behind Rohidas and Sanjeep Xess every time they receive the ball. Team India Hockey World Cup 2023 Schedule and Match List: Get IND FIH Men's WC Time Table and Fixtures in IST.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 13, 2023 06:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).