New Delhi, May 9 (IANS): Hockey India on Thursday announced the 24-member men’s hockey team that will take part in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023-24 to be held in Antwerp, Belgium and London, England.
The Belgium leg will begin on May 22 and end on May 30 while the England leg will commence on June 1 and conclude on June 12.
India will play against Argentina, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain twice each across both legs, beginning their campaign against Argentina on May 22.
India are currently placed third in the points table, with 15 points from eight matches.
Taking charge of the team will be captain Harmanpreet Singh. Meanwhile, dynamic midfielder Hardik Singh has been named his deputy.
The goalkeeping responsibilities will rest with PR Sreejesh and Krishan Bahadur Pathak, while the defensive line-up includes Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Harmanpreet Singh, Sumit, Sanjay, Jugraj Singh and Vishnukant Singh.
The midfield section will be marshalled by dynamic players such as Vivek Sagar Prasad, Nilakanta Sharma, Manpreet Singh, Shamsher Singh, Hardik Singh, Rajkumar Pal and Mohd. Raheel Mouseen. The forward line boasts of Mandeep Singh, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Gurjant Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Araijeet Singh Hundal and Boby Singh Dhami.
Speaking on the team selection chief coach Craig Fulton said, "We have been training hard at the camp and have developed an understanding of each other’s gameplay. Ahead of the Paris Olympics, we will play against top quality teams which will help us build on our game and get better through.
"This will be an opportunity and will go a long way in evaluating where we stand as a team and as individual players. It will be a great way to figure out our strengths and what areas we would need to touch upon."
Meanwhile, captain Harmanpreet Singh said, "We are looking forward to getting on with the season in the Olympic year with the FIH Hockey Pro League where we will play top-quality teams. We have chosen a squad to give players exposure and it will also allow me to see some of the players in competition mode ahead of the Paris Olympics.
"We had a camp in SAI, Bengaluru where we underwent rigorous training sessions and improved on the areas where we felt we needed to improve. We are looking forward to the matches and I hope that we get the results in our favour.
India squad-
Goalkeepers: Sreejesh Parattu Raveendran, Krishan Bahadur Pathak
Defenders: Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Harmanpreet Singh, Sumit, Sanjay, Jugraj Singh, Vishnukant Singh
Midfielders: Vivek Sagar Prasad, Nilakanta Sharma, Manpreet Singh, Shamsher Singh, Hardik Singh, Rajkumar Pal, Mohd. Raheel Mouseen
Forwards: Mandeep Singh, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Gurjant Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Araijeet Singh Hundal, Boby Singh Dhami