The 2018 Hockey World Cup for men was an important international field hockey tournament. Which country hosted the 2018 Hockey World Cup for men?

Introduction / Context:
World Cup tournaments in different sports are very important for general knowledge exams. This question focuses on the 2018 Hockey World Cup for men and asks which country acted as the host nation. Field hockey is a sport where India has a strong historical legacy, so questions about major hockey tournaments frequently appear in competitive exams and sports current affairs sections.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The event is the 2018 Hockey World Cup for men.
• The tournament is a top level international field hockey event.
• Four possible host countries are listed: Pakistan, Malaysia, Australia, and India.
• The task is to identify the country that hosted this edition.

Concept / Approach:
For this type of question, the approach is to remember major sports events hosted by India and other prominent countries. India has hosted several international hockey tournaments at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The 2018 men Hockey World Cup in particular was widely covered in Indian media, making it an important memory point for exam aspirants. Recognising the link between the year 2018, men hockey, and the city of Bhubaneswar helps you arrive at the correct option.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall where the 2018 men Hockey World Cup was played. Step 2: Remember that this tournament took place at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. Step 3: Bhubaneswar is the capital city of the Indian state of Odisha. Step 4: Therefore the host nation for this tournament was India. Step 5: Among the given options, India is the only choice that matches this memory, so India must be selected as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
An additional way to verify is to recall that there was a lot of promotional branding around the event under the name Odisha Hockey Men World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018. This phrase itself shows that Odisha and India were central to the event. Many Indian advertisements, government campaigns, and news articles highlighted that India was hosting the tournament. None of the other listed countries were associated with the 2018 edition, which confirms that India is the host.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Pakistan: Although Pakistan has a strong hockey history, it did not host the 2018 World Cup.
• Malaysia: Malaysia hosts various hockey events, but not this particular World Cup edition.
• Australia: Australia has hosted many major tournaments but was not the host in 2018 for men hockey World Cup.

Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to confuse the winner of the tournament with the host country or to mix up different World Cup years. Students may also remember that previous hockey tournaments were held in European or other Asian countries and mistakenly choose them. To avoid errors, always connect the specific year with the location and memorise a small list of recent major tournaments and their hosts.

Final Answer:
The correct host nation for the 2018 men Hockey World Cup was India.