Hockey India on Thursday announced a 24-member men’s squad that for the upcoming FIH Hockey Pro League 2023-24 to be held in Antwerp (Belgium) and London (England).
The Belgium leg will get underway on 22nd May and end on 30th May while the England leg will commence on 1st June and conclude on 12th June.
India will play against Argentina, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain twice each across both legs, beginning their campaign against Argentina on 22nd May. India are currently placed 3rd in the points table, with 15 points from eight matches.
Taking charge of the team will be Captain Harmanpreet Singh. Meanwhile, dynamic midfielder Hardik Singh has been named his deputy. The goalkeeping responsibilities will rest with PR Sreejesh and Krishan Bahadur Pathak, while the defensive line-up includes Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Harmanpreet Singh, Sumit, Sanjay, Jugraj Singh and Vishnukant Singh.
The midfield section will be marshalled by dynamic players such as Vivek Sagar Prasad, Nilakanta Sharma, Manpreet Singh, Shamsher Singh, Hardik Singh, Rajkumar Pal and Mohd. Raheel Mouseen. The forward line boasts of Mandeep Singh, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Gurjant Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Araijeet Singh Hundal and Boby Singh Dhami.
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India captain Harmanpreet Singh said the squad selection has been made to ensure players get exposure and see how they fare in international events ahead of Paris Olympics.
“We are looking forward to getting on with the season in the Olympic year with the FIH Hockey Pro League where we will play top-quality teams,” Harmanpreet said. “We have chosen a squad to give players exposure and it will also allow me to see some of the players in competition mode ahead of the Paris Olympics. We had a camp in SAI, Bengaluru where we underwent rigorous training sessions and improved on the areas where we felt we needed to improve. We are looking forward to the matches and I hope that we get the results in our favour.”
India head coach Craig Fulton says the event will help in fine-tuning the team’s preparations.
“We have been training hard at the camp and have developed an understanding of each other’s gameplay. Ahead of the Paris Olympics, we will play against top quality teams which will help us build on our game and get better through. This will be an opportunity and will go a long way in evaluating where we stand as a team and as individual players. It will be a great way to figure out our strengths and what areas we would need to touch upon,” Fulton said.
Indian Men’s Hockey Full Squad
Goalkeepers:
1. Sreejesh Parattu Raveendran
2. Krishan Bahadur Pathak
Defenders:
3. Jarmanpreet Singh
4. Amit Rohidas
5. Harmanpreet Singh
6. Sumit
7. Sanjay
8. Jugraj Singh
9. Vishnukant Singh
Midfielders:
10. Vivek Sagar Prasad
11. Nilakanta Sharma
12. Manpreet Singh
13. Shamsher Singh
14. Hardik Singh
15. Rajkumar Pal
16. Mohd. Raheel Mouseen
Forwards:
17. Mandeep Singh
18. Abhishek
19. Sukhjeet Singh
20. Lalit Kumar Upadhyay
21. Gurjant Singh
22. Akashdeep Singh
23. Araijeet Singh Hundal
24. Boby Singh Dhami
