FIH Hockey Pro League: 24-member Indian squad announced; 1 new face
There is only one newcomer in the Indian hockey squad which was announced on Monday (February 3). India will play against Belgium in the FIH Hockey Pro League
FollowNew Delhi: Indian team for the FIH Hockey Pro League was announced on Monday (February 3) by Hockey India (HI). Manpreet Singh has been named the captain of the 24-member squad.
India will play against world No. 1 Belgium in the FIH Hockey Pro League on February 8 and 9 at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium, Bhubaneswar.
The team has Harmanpreet Singh as vice-captain and includes newcomer Raj Kumar Pal who was impressive in his stint with the India Colts team in the past season where they won a silver medal at the Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia. PR Sreejesh, Krishan Pathak, Gurinder Singh, Amit Rohidas, Surender Kumar, Jarmanpreet Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh are also part of the squad.
Vivek Sagar Prasad, Chinglensana Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Mandeep Singh, Shamsher Singh, Gursahibjit Singh and Kothajit Singh, SV Sunil, Birendra Lakra, Gurjant Singh and Nilakanta Sharma will also be part of the 24-member squad.
Speaking about the team selected, chief coach Graham Reid said, “The objective of these matches of the FIH Hockey Pro League is to find the balance between giving players opportunities for Olympic selection, working out our strongest combinations and continuing to demonstrate that we can compete with the best teams in the world.”
Reid added, “Raj Kumar Pal has been rewarded for his outstanding form in the recent camps and named in the squad. He possesses extra-ordinary skills and speed, which if given the opportunity will excel against the world No. 1 Belgium.”
India squad
Manpreet Singh (captain), PR Sreejesh, Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Harmanpreet Singh, Gurinder Singh, Amit Rohidas, Surender Kumar, Jarmanpreet Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Chinglensana Singh, Raj Kumar Pal, Dilpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Mandeep Singh, Shamsher Singh, Gursahibjit Singh, Kothajit Singh Kadangbam, Birendra Lakra, Nilakanta Sharma, Gurjant Singh, SV Sunil.
