Muristek
New Delhi, January 27
Star midfielder and Olympics bronze medal-winning captain Manpreet Singh will lead a 20-member Indian hockey team in the double-leg FIH Pro League ties against South Africa and France to be held between February 8 and 13.
Manpreet will be assisted by ace dragflicker Harmanpreet Singh. Young dragflicker Jugraj Singh and striker Abhishek are the two new faces in the squad.
Jugraj, who is from Attari, came into the senior national camp for the first time after he impressed the national selectors during the first senior men inter-department national championships, where he represented Services Sports Control Board (SSCC).
Abhishek, on the other hand, is a striker who was earlier part of the junior programme and had played for the India colts in the Sultan of Johor Cup in 2017 and 2018. From Sonepat, Abhishek also did well for Punjab National Bank in the senior men inter-department national championships which earned him a maiden spot in the senior national camp.
"After a three-week camp in Bengaluru, a team has been selected that includes 14 Tokyo Olympians and two debutants," India's chief coach Graham Reid said in a statement.
Keeping in mind the pandemic, India will travel with four additional players besides keeping five stand-bys. "We have tried to choose an experienced group that will not only give us a great opportunity to start this season of the Pro League in a positive manner, but also reflects the high quality of opposition we will encounter in the opening games. We are also using this opportunity to debut two new players. Jugraj Singh, a versatile defender/midfielder who adds to our dragflick options and Abhishek is a strong, fast striker who loves scoring goals," he added. The Indian team will leave for South Africa on February 4. — PTI
Squad
Harmanpreet Singh (vice-captain), Amit Rohidas, Surender Kumar, Varun Kumar, Jarmanpreet Singh, Jugraj Singh. Manpreet Singh (captain), Nilakanta Sharma, Hardik Singh, Jaskaran Singh, Shamsher Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad. Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Akashdeep Singh, Shilanand Lakra, Dilpreet Singh, Abhishek
Stand-bys: Suraj Karkera, Mandeep Mor, Raj Kumar Pal, Sumit, Gursahibjit Singh