Hockey Indian recently announced a 20-member team that will represent the country in the upcoming FIH Men’s Hockey Pro League matches in South Africa. They will play South Africa and France scheduled to feature in Potchefstroom South Africa from 8th February to 13th February.
The Indian Men’s Hockey team will be spearheaded by Manpreet Singh while Harmanpreet Singh will remain the vice-captain for the Men in Blue.
Two new faces present in the Indian Men’s Hockey team are promising young drag-flicker Jugraj Singh and speedy forward Abhishek. Jugraj who is from Attari, Amritsar came into the Senior National Camp for the very first time in January 2022. he impressed the selectors during the Inter-State Department National Championship. He featured for Services Sports Control Board and played a very decisive role for his team.
Abhishek on the other hand is a striker who has been part of the junior setup. He has featured for the Blue Colts in the Sultan of Johor Cup in 2017 and also in 2018. Abhishek who hails from Sonepat did really well for his team Punjab National Bank in the 1st Hockey India Senior Men Inter Department National Championship, something that earned him a spot in the senior national camp.
The 20-member squad for the FIH Men’s Hockey Pro League includes goalkeepers PR Sreejesh, Krishan Bahadur Pathak, defenders Harmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Surender Kumar, Varun Kumar, Jarmanpreet Singh, Jugraj Singh. Midfield will see Manpreet Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Hardik Singh, Jaskaran Singh, Shamsher Singh and Vivek Sagar Prasad in action. The forward line includes Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Akashdeep Singh, Shilanand Lakra, Dilpreet Singh and Abhishek.
Indian Men’s Hockey team chief coach Graham Reid highlighted how India are ready for a busy year of hockey as they have piucked 14 players from the Tokyo Olympics along with two debutants.
“With a very busy and important year ahead, the Indian team is excited to be back on the world stage and playing in the latest edition of the FIH Hockey Pro League. After a three week camp in Bengaluru, a team has been selected that includes 14 Tokyo Olympians and 2 debutants,” Reid stated.
The Australian tactician points out how picking an experienced group of players is important to start the FIH Hockey Pro League on a positive note. “We have tried to choose an experienced group that will not only give us a great opportunity to start this season of the FIH Hockey Pro League in a positive manner, it reflects the high quality of opposition we will encounter in the opening games. We are also using this opportunity to debut 2 new players. Jugraj Singh, a versatile defender/midfielder who adds to our drag flick options and Abhishek is a strong, fast striker who loves scoring goals,” Reid added.
The Indian team will face France in the first match on 8 February whereas they will take on South Africa in the second game on the following day. They will then face France again on the 12th of February and similarly play South Africa for a second leg on the 13th of February.
