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After an impressive performance at the 2016 Rio games, the Indian hockey team is geared up to start their campaign at the Asian Champions Trophy in Kuantan, Malaysia. Top favourites India clash with defending champions Pakistan on 23 October and will be playing their first match against Japan on Thursday.
SV Sunil and seasoned drag-flicker VR Ragunath were ruled out of the tournament, but The Quint takes a look at the top five players to watch out for during the tournament.
PR Sreejesh: Captain Cool
An ideal leader on and off the field, captain and goal keeper PR Sreejesh is a top player in the Indian side. After replacing Sardar Singh as captain at the Rio games, Sreejesh will once again be leading the Indian team in Malaysia.
The Arjuna awardee is one of the most experienced players in the Indian squad. Having won medals at the 2014 Asian Games, 2010 and 2014 Commonwealth Games, 2016 Champions Trophy to name a few, Sreejesh has proved himself with exemplary performances all long the way.
He saved two penalty strokes in a match-winning performance at the Asian Champions Trophy Final in China against Pakistan in 2011, and no less will be expected of him this year round.
Rupinder Pal Singh: Tall Man Standing
With three goals to his tally at the 2016 Rio Olympics, there’s not much Rupinder can’t do. A drag-flick specialist, the six-footer also holds the Indian defence together.
His hat-trick against Great Britain and top-scorer award in the 2011 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup made everybody sit up and take notice of the boy from Faridkot. And Rupinder has been a force to reckon with ever since.
Another crowd favourite, he is sure to continue his success-streak in this tournament too.
Akashdeep Singh: Young And Dynamic
A young yet important part of the team, Akashdeep Singh was part of the squad that won bronze at the Hero Hockey World League Final 2015 and 24th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2015 and gold at the 17th Asian Games 2014.
At just 21 years, Singh represented India at the Olympics and performed as well as he was expected to have. He scored two goals for the Indian side at the prestigious games, one of them in the quarters that India lost.
Bagged by UP Wizards for $84,000, the Punjab boy’s was the highest bid for an Indian player at the auction of Hockey India League beating the then captain Sardar Singh. And rightly so. Akashdeep has always proved himself and will surely continue to do so now too.
Kothajit Singh Khadangbam: The Silent Assassin
The one who speaks with his game, Kothajit Singh is one of the two Manipur boys in the Indian hockey team. With just four goals in 133 games, stats don’t back his hockey career, but he has scored at some very crucial moments in the recent past.
His equaliser against Pakistan at the 2014 Asian Games final helped India win in a penalty shoot-out to qualify for the Rio Olympics. And then his goal along with that of fellow Manipuri Chinglensana practically assured India of a spot in the Rio quarters.
Kothajit has often been nagged for not speaking enough, but we just hope he continues being a lucky-charm for India, helping them reclaim the Asian Champions Trophy this year round.
Manpreet Singh: Feisty Vice-Captain
Quick and feisty on the field, Manpreet Singh has been appointed vice-captain of the Indian squad for this edition of the ACT, in place of SV Sunil. With 12 international goals in 163 appearances, Manpreet is an essential part of the Indian midfield with Chinglensana, Sardar Singh, SK Uthappa and Devindar Walmiki.
With outstanding sprinting skills, agility and a knack of powering through different corners, Singh has evolved into a mature player who has lived up to his billing in recent tournaments, especially the Rio games.
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