Picture Credit: Twitter
Hockey India have announced a strong 20-member squad for upcoming FIH Men’s Hockey Pro League matches, scheduled to take place in South Africa from February 8 to 13. Manpreet Singh will captain the side with Harmanpreet Singh as his deputy. Interestingly, two new and exciting talents have also been included in the side in form of drag-flicker Jugraj Singh and pacy forward Abhishek.
Reflecting on the team, India's 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 FIH Hockey 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.
Here is India's squad for FIH Pro League (South Africa):
Goalkeepers: Sreejesh PR, Krishan Bahadur Pathak
Defenders: Harmanpreet Singh (Vice Captain), Amit Rohidas, Surender Kumar, Varun Kumar, Jarmanpreet Singh, Jugraj Singh
Midfielders: Manpreet Singh (Captain), Nilakanta Sharma, Hardik Singh, Jaskaran Singh, Shamsher Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad
Forwards: Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Akashdeep Singh, Shilanand Lakra, Dilpreet Singh, Abhishek
Standbys: Suraj Karkera, Mandeep Mor, Raj Kumar Pal, Sumit, Gursahibjit Singh
Schedule of FIH Men’s Hockey Pro League (South Africa)
The team, currently in Bengaluru, will leave for South Africa on February 4. India's fixtures are as follows:
Feb 8: India vs France (9:30 PM IST)
Feb 9: India vs South Africa (9:30 PM IST)
Feb 12: India vs France (9:30 PM IST)
Feb 13: India vs South Africa (9:30 PM IST)
All the matches will be broadcast live on Star Sports Select 2 and Star Sports Select 2 HD, with live streaming also available on Hotstar.