Harpal Singh Bedi
New Delhi, 27 January : Versatile mid fielder Manpreet Singh will lead 20-member Indian Hockey squad in the FIH Pro League matches against South Africa and France to be played in Potchefstroom South Africa from 8th February to 13th February.
Defender Harmanpreet Singh has been named the vice captain of the team which includes two new faces- young drag flicker Jugraj Singh and speedy forward Abhishek.
The squad includes goalkeepers PR Sreejesh, Krishan Bahadur Pathak, defenders Harmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Surender Kumar, Varun Kumar, Jarmanpreet Singh, Jugraj Singh.
Midfield will see Manpreet Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Hardik Singh, Jaskaran Singh, Shamsher Singh and Vivek Sagar Prasad in action.
The forward line includes Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Akashdeep Singh, Shilanand Lakra, Dilpreet Singh and Abhishek.
Standbys; Suraj Karkera ,Mandeep Mor,Raj Kumar Pal ,Sumit ,Gursahibjit Singh
Talking about the team, Chief Coach Graham Reid opined “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.” he said adding “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.
The Team will leave to South Africa from Bengaluru on 4 February.
They will play France in the first match on 8 February at and take on South Africa on 9 February .
In the second leg, they will play France on 12 February and hosts South Africa on the following day