New Delhi, Jan 27: Hockey India on Thursday named the 20-member men’s squad for the upcoming FIH Pro League matches against South Africa and France. The matches will be played from February 8 to 13 in Potchefstroom, South Africa.
The Indian team will be led by Manpreet Singh and vice captained by Harmanpreet Singh in the season opener. The squad includes two new faces in the form of promising young drag-flicker Jugraj Singh and forward Abhishek.
Chief Coach Graham Reid said, “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.”
“We have tried to choose an experienced group that will not only give us a great opportunity to start this season of the 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.
Team India will leave from Bengaluru for South Africa on February 4. India will play France on February 8 and 12, followed by matches against South Africa on February 9 and 13.
Squad: Goalkeepers: Sreejesh PR and Krishan Bahadur Pathak Defenders: Harmanpreet Singh (vc), Amit Rohidas,Surender Kumar, Varun Kumar, Jarmanpreet Singh and Jugraj Singh Midfielders: Manpreet Singh (c), Nilakanta Sharma, Hardik Singh, Jaskaran Singh, Shamsher Singh and Vivek Sagar Prasad Forwards: Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Akashdeep Singh, Shilanand Lakra, Dilpreet Singh and Abhishek Standby players: Suraj Karkera, Mandeep Mor, Raj Kumar Pal, Sumit and Gursahibjit Singh.
