published by, ritayan basu
Last Update: May 15, 2023, 15:36 IST
Indian Hockey Team Captain Harmanpreet Singh (Twitter)
Harmanpreet Singh to lead Indian men’s hockey team to next stage of FIH Hockey Pro League in Europe
Ace drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh will lead the Indian men’s hockey team in the next phase of the FIH Hockey Pro League in Europe, the first assignment for newly appointed coach Craig Fulton.
In their previous outings in prestigious league matches at home, India remained unbeaten against world champions Germany and Australia, helping them finish on top of the points table.
In Europe, they will hope to continue their winning momentum as they take on strong Belgium and Great Britain in London followed by matches against Netherlands and Argentina in Eindhoven, Netherlands.
Goalkeeper Krishna Bahadur Pathak is in the 24-member squad announced on Monday. He returns to the team after missing the domestic matches due to his marriage.
He will be joined at the bar by PR Sreejesh, while the list of defenders includes five penalty corner specialists in Harmanpreet, Amit Rohidas, Jarmanpreet Singh, Sanjay and Mandeep Mor.
Manpreet Singh, who was the cynosure of India’s midfield, will be seen in a new role, playing in India’s back-line with Sumit and Gurinder Singh also named in the backline.
The midfield will be led by vice-captain Hardik Singh along with Dilpreet Singh, Moirangthem Rabichandra Singh, Shamsher Singh, Akashdeep Singh and Vivek Sagar Prasad.
India’s forward line sees the return of Simranjit Singh, who last played for India at the Asia Cup in Jakarta but had to return home midway due to injury.
He will be accompanied by a good mix of experienced and young strikers like Abhishek, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, S Karthi, Gurjant Singh, Sukhjit Singh, Raj Kumar Pal and Mandeep Singh.
“This tournament will be a great opportunity for us to compete against top-ranked teams and further improve our overall game. We are looking forward to the challenge and look forward to a strong finish to the Pro League tournament,” Fulton he said.
Shaft:
Goalkeepers: Krishna Bahadur Pathak, PR Sreejesh.
Defenders: Harmanpreet Singh (C), Amit Rohidas, Jarmanpreet Singh, Manpreet Singh, Sumit, Sanjay, Mandeep Mor, Gurinder Singh.
Midfielders: Hardik Singh (VC), Dilpreet Singh, Moirangthem Rabichandra Singh, Shamsher Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad.
Forwards: Abhishek, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, S Karthi, Gurjant Singh, Sukhjit Singh, Raj Kumar Pal, Mandeep Singh, Simranjit Singh.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)
