Harpal Singh Bedi / New Delhi
Versatile midfielder Manpreet Singh will lead the 20-member Indian hockey team for a week log Tour of Belgium scheduled to commence from 26th September.
Defender Harmanpreet Singh has been named vice-captain of the team which will play three matches against Belgium and two against Spain.
Lalit Upadhyay will be making a comeback to the team after the World Cup while Rupinder Pal , who missed out on the Olympic Test Event, also makes a return .
Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh joins the side after being rested for the Olympic Test Event while Krishan B Pathak is the other goalkeeper in the team.
Defenders Harmanpreet Singh, Surender Kumar, Birendra Lakra, Varun Kumar, Amit Rohidas, Gurinder Singh, Khadangbam Kothajit Singh and Rupinder Pal have been named in the squad and Midfielders include Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad and Nilakanta Sharma.
Forward-line features Mandeep Singh, SV Sunil, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Ramandeep Singh, Simranjeet Singh and Akashdeep Singh.
“All the players in the squad complement each other very well and we are hoping that the team continues its good form. We are delighted to have Lalit Upadhyay back as he will play a vital role in the forward line. It’s fantastic to have Rupinder Pal back in the side as well, he has improved his game since the FIH Series Finals Bhubaneswar early this year. . We are still looking to fine-tune a few aspects of our game before we leave for Belgium,” expressed Chief Coach Graham Reid about the team selected for the event.
The coach was of the view that that the tour of Belgium will be the perfect preparation for the Olympic Qualifiers match against Russia. “Belgium are a strong team and if we perform well against them at their own backyard then the team will gain a lot of confidence ahead of the Qualifiers We are expecting a tough challenge from Spain as well.”