The 18-member Indian men’s hockey squad, which will compete in the Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai next month, is missing five forwards, including Lalit Kumar Upadhyay.
The 18-member Indian men’s hockey team for the Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai next month has left out five forwards, including Lalit Kumar Upadhyay. Along with Lalit, other players who are currently in Spain with the Indian team preparing for the 100th Anniversary Spanish Hockey Federation-International Tournament, including Abhishek, Pawan, Dilpreet Singh, and Simranjeet Singh, were not selected for the prestigious competition, which will be held at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium from August 3 to 12.
Hardik Singh, a midfielder, will be Harmanpreet Singh’s assistant as the team’s captain continues to be the legendary dragflicker.
Having originally been designated as a defender for the Pro League’s European leg, Manpreet Singh will now play in the middle of the pitch.
The Pool stage of the competition would pit India against Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Japan, and China.
In addition, the competition will double as a training exercise for the Asian Games in Hangzhou, which will also serve as the hockey qualifying event for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
The team has veteran goalkeepers in PR Sreejesh and Krishan Bahadur Pathak as well as other stalwarts like defender Amit Rohidas, midfielder Vivek Sagar Prasad, and former captain Manpreet.
In a release on Tuesday, head coach Craig Fulton said, “We have carefully selected a squad that has the potential to go on and give a good account of themselves in the Asian Champions Trophy.”
The team is made up of both young and seasoned players. The 100th Anniversary Spanish Hockey Federation-International Tournament in Spain begins tomorrow (Wednesday), and after that, the team will fly directly to Chennai to compete in the Asian Champions Trophy at home. This is an exciting time for the team, according to Fulton.
Team:
Goalkeepers: PR Sreejesh, Krishan Bahadur Pathak Defenders: Jarmanpreet Singh, Sumit, Jugraj Singh, Harmanpreet Singh (capt), Varun Kumar, Amit Rohidas Midfielders: Hardik Singh (vice-captain), Vivek Sagar Prasad, Manpreet Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Shamsher Singh.
Forwards: Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Gurjant Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, S Karthi.
