Picture Credit: Twitter
Hockey India has announced the national men’s team for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England. Hockey India also announced that midfielder Manpreet Singh will lead the team, naming dragflick specialist Harmanpreet Singh as his deputy. Notably, Manpreet also led the Indian team to win bronze at the Tokyo Olympics.
The squad includes the country’s most experienced goalkeeper in PR Sreejesh with Krishan B Pathak, who returns to the squad after an injury-led hiatus. The team’s defence is bolstered by the likes of Varun Kumar, Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh and Jarmanpreet Singh.
The midfield has seasoned campaigners in Manpreet alongside Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Shamsher Singh, Akashdeep Singh and Nilakanta Sharma. While the forward line has Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Gurjant Singh and Abhishek.
It’s like having an assistant coach: Reid
Talking about the team’s captaincy, coach Graham Reid talked about how Manpreet was brought back into the leadership role after giving him a break during the recent few tournaments. He said, “We’ll probably see a change again in the Commonwealth Games. The idea is really just to share it around, and I certainly have spoken to Manpreet (Singh) about it. “
“The timing was pretty good for him as well – he had a child and these sort of things can change your view on life a little bit. So I think it’s been a good opportunity for all of us because it’s good to have different voices. It’s like having an assistant coach, it’s good to have a different voice at halftime or at quarter-time or whatever,” the coach continued.
These players have the experience of playing top teams in high-pressure games: Reid
Similarly, he talked about the team’s mentality entering the CWG. Reid addressed how the team has been playing against some experienced international teams in the recent few tournaments.
He said, “We have gone with a tried-and-tested team for the Commonwealth Games. These players have the experience of playing top teams in high-pressure games in the FIH Pro League which was a good exposure for us ahead of the prestigious quadrennial event.
Indian men’s hockey team for CWG: PR Sreejesh, Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Varun Kumar, Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh (VC), Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Manpreet Singh (C), Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Shamsher Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Mandeep Singh, Gurjant Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Abhishek