Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey on Sunday said India can win a WorldCup medal this time after a hiatus of 48 years but for that the home side needs to make use of penalty corners.

India have not won a WorldCup medal since winning a gold in the 1975 edition but Tirkey, one of the finest defenders of his time and former captain, said the hosts under Graham Reid can stand on the podium in the ongoing event.

“We have fielded the India team which can win a medal this time. They are playing really well,” Tirkey said.

“But modern hockey has changed a lot. Penalty corners have become very important. When the penalty corner conversion clicks, most of the time the team wins. We have very good dragflickers and I hope they click in the tournament and win a medal for India.

“(Captain) HarmanpreetSingh has been doing very well for the country as a dragflicker though he was not at his best against Spain. So, we are hoping India does well in penalty corners,” said Tirkey, the most capped Indian player (412 matches).

Asked if India can beat the likes of defending champions Belgium and world No. 1 Australia, he said, “The team fought against Australia very well in the (five-match) series.

“Belgium is also one of the best sides in the world. But India is now in a position to fight against any team in the world on a particular day.” He said the World Cup will set the benchmark for future host countries.