By Diptayan Hazra

New Delhi [India], December 29 (ANI): Belgium and Vedanta Kalinga Lancers star Alexander Hendrickx believes India has what it takes to challenge for the Hockey World Cup title next year, ending a long wait for global glory.

India last lifted the Hockey World Cup in 1975, defeating arch-rivals Pakistan 2-1 in the final in Kuala Lumpur.

Nearly five decades on, expectations are once again high, and Hendrickx feels India is firmly among the favourites.

'India is doing well in the last tournaments. They're always there to play for the medals and for the title,' Hendrickx told ANI.

'We obviously want to lift the World Cup as well, but it will be tough. It will be a hard World Cup,' he added.

The Belgian defender added that the tournament could come down to a narrow margin, with several teams closely matched.

'There will be five countries that will be really close to each other. It will be decided by the form of the day and some important details. India is definitely one of those top five countries that could lift the trophy in Belgium,' he said.

Hendrickx is equally determined to make a substantial impact in the upcoming Hockey India League (HIL) season with Vedanta Kalinga Lancers. The team finished sixth last season and missed out on the top four.

'Our ambitions are big. First, we want to reach the top four, and then from there we'll see,' he said.

'We were pretty disappointed last year by not reaching it,' he added.

Reflecting on the previous campaign, Hendrickx pointed out that while the Lancers were potent in attack, defensive lapses proved costly.

'I think we scored a lot of goals, but we conceded too many as well,' he explained.

'I think a defensive mindset is really important. Being smart in certain areas will be key as well,' he added.

'I think compared to last year, we now have a good first runner on corner defence. I think we conceded too many goals on that. So, I think we will train it this year even harder...,' Hendrickx said.

Beyond tactics and results, Hendrickx also spoke warmly about his interactions with Indian players during his time in the league, describing the experience as enriching beyond just hockey.

'We spent a lot of time together, talking about everything. It's not only about hockey,' he said.

'We had some nice conversations about what they do, where they train, where they come from,' he noted.

He added that learning about the journeys of younger Indian players was particularly interesting.

'Like the younger guys, they were still in the training schools where we also trained one time. So, it's pretty interesting to share some culture amongst each other,' Hendrickx said. (ANI)