Harpal Singh Bedi / New Delhi
Hockey India named 22 players for the National Coaching Camp ahead of the FIH Olympic Qualifiers to be held on 1 and 2 November.
The players will report to Chief Coach Graham Reid on for the coaching camp commencing from 14 October at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar where the FIH Olympic Qualifiers will be held.
The camp follows a successful Belgium Tour where the Indian Men’s Hockey Team beat the hosts (2-0, 2-1, 5-1) and also won against Spain (6-1, 5-1),
PR Sreejesh, Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Harmanpreet Singh, Varun Kumar, Surender Kumar, Birendra Lakra, Rupinder Pal Singh, Gurinder Singh, Amit Rohidas, Kothajit Singh, Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Simranjeet Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Ramandeep Singh, SV Sunil, Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Gursahibjit Singh, Shamsher Singh have been called-up for the camp.
“I think the wins in Belgium surely contribute to the team’s confidence going into the FIH Olympic Qualifiers. There were a lot of take aways from the tour and I am confident the team is ready for the challenge against Russia,” expressed Chief Coach Graham Reid.
He further stated playing teams like Belgium and Spain would put the Indian team in good stead ahead of the crucial two-match Olympic Qualifier against Russia. “It was a good tour as the team showed good intensity and were able to score from PCs and field goals which is good. Playing quality teams like Belgium and Spain definitely helps ahead of a crucial tie. The next few weeks at camp will be more about keeping up our momentum and getting used to the playing conditions in Bhubaneswar,” he said.