Goals from Amit Rohidas and Hardik Singh in the space of 14 minutes helped India begin their Hockey World Cup campaign with a 2-0 win over Spain in Rourkela, Odisha on Friday.
India won a bronze in the inaugural tournament in 1971 and clinched a silver in the next edition in 1973.
Currently ranked sixth, the Indian team, under captain Harmanpreet Singh, is looking at a podium finish this time around.
In the previous edition of the World Cup, held in Bhubaneswar in 2018, India had exited at the quarterfinal stage after losing to the Netherlands, the eventual runners-up.
India have also done well in the FIH Hockey Pro League, finishing third in the 2021-22 season, after winning bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics .