India on Monday named a full-strength 18-member males's hockey squad for the Commonwealth Video games.
Manpreet Singh returns as captain and dragflicker Harmanpreet Singh has been appointed as vice-captain.
Hockey India (HI) had initially determined to ship a second-string crew to the Commonwealth Video games as a result of brief turnaround time between the Birmingham occasion and the Hangzhou Asian Video games, which is a qualifier for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Nonetheless, with the Asian Video games now postponed to subsequent yr owing to the COVID-19 scenario in China, HI determined to choose a robust crew for the celebrated occasion, scheduled to start from July 28.
The Indian crew has been grouped in Pool B together with England, Canada, Wales and Ghana. The 2-time former silver medallist will start its marketing campaign on July 31 towards Ghana.
Manpreet had led the Indian crew to a historic bronze medal on the Olympic Video games in Tokyo final yr and he'll take over the reins from Amit Rohidas, who was the captain for the FIH Professional League tour of Belgium and the Netherlands.
Harmanpreet, who has been named the deputy, emerged as the very best objective scorer of the FIH Hockey Professional League. "Now we have gone with a tried-and-tested crew for the Commonwealth Video games. These gamers have the expertise of enjoying prime groups in excessive stress video games within the FIH Professional League which was a great publicity for us forward of the celebrated quadrennial occasion," chief coach Graham Reid stated.
"After a quick break once we return house from Netherlands, we'll resume camp in SAI, Bengaluru the place we'll analyze our efficiency towards Belgium and Netherlands.
"Whereas there are numerous takeaways from this outing in FIH Professional League, there certainly are a number of areas that we are able to enhance upon forward of the Commonwealth Video games."
The squad contains skilled goalkeeper PR Sreejesh and Krishan B Pathak, who returns to the crew after a quick harm break. Defenders Varun Kumar, Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh and Jarmanpreet Singh have been named within the crew. The midfield contains Manpreet, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Shamsher Singh, Akashdeep Singh and Nilakanta Sharma.
Seasoned strikers Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Gurjant Singh and Abhishek will lead the cost in assault.
Goalkeeper Suraj Karkera and forwards Shilanand Lakra and Sukhjeet Singh, who had been a part of the FIH Professional League, are lacking from the squad.
India had completed fourth on the 2018 Commonwealth Video games in Gold Coast.
India squad GOALKEEPERS Sreejesh P. R., Krishan Bahadur Pathak DEFENDERS Varun Kumar, Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh (vice-captain), Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh MIDFIELDERS Manpreet Singh (c), Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Shamsher Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Nilakanta Sharma FORWARDS Mandeep Singh, Gurjant Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Abhishek |
