Bengaluru, Oct 1 (IANS): Hockey India announced the 40-member core probable squad for the senior men's national coaching camp, which will take place at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre in Bengaluru from October 1 to 19. The team for the upcoming home series against Germany will be selected from this camp and is a vital part of the Indian team's preparation for the matches.

The team heads into this camp following their recent successes which include a second consecutive bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics and a successful title defense at the Asian Champions Trophy 2024 in China.

The team will concentrate on honing their skills and strategies as they prepare to face the World Champions, Germany, in a two-match home series scheduled for October 23 and 24 at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi.

Speaking ahead of the camp, Indian men’s team captain, Harmanpreet Singh said, "This camp will be important in ensuring our team is well-prepared and in peak condition before we face Germany. Playing against the World Champions is a tremendous opportunity for us to showcase our abilities, and having an exciting mix of players in this camp will allow us to improve our strategies and build the cohesion needed.”

On the composition of the camp, he further added, “Each player in this core group brings unique strengths and varying levels of experience and we’ll be focusing on how to harness these individual talents and help us grow as players. Our objective is to create an environment where everyone pushes each other and by the end of this camp, we want to be an even stronger and better-coordinated team.”

Indian men’s hockey team 40-member core group:

Goalkeeper: Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Pawan, Suraj Karkera, Mohith H.S.

Defenders: Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Harmanpreet Singh, Sumit, Sanjay, Jugraj Singh, Amandeep Lakra, Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Varun Kumar, Yashdeep Siwach, Dipsan Tirkey, Mandeep Mor

Midfielders: Rajkumar Pal, Shamsher Singh, Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Nilakanta Sharma, Moirangthem Rabichandra Singh, Mohammed Raheel Mouseen, Vishnukant Singh, Rajinder Singh, Poovanna CB

Forwards: Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Mandeep Singh, Gurjant Singh, Angad Bir Singh, Aditya Lalage, Boby Singh Dhami, Sudeep Chirmako, S. Karthi, Maninder Singh, Shilanand Lakra, Dilpreet Singh