After leading India to the historic bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Manpreet Singh has been handed the responsibility once again as Hockey India announced the 18-member men's team for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham that get underway on 29 July.
India finished fourth at the 2018 edition of the CWG, losing the bronze medal match 6-0 to England. This time around, they have been grouped in Pool B along with England, Canada, Wales and Ghana, and will begin their campaign on July 31 against Ghana.
Hockey India (HI) had initially decided to send a second-string team to the CWG due to the short turnaround time between the Birmingham event and the Hangzhou Asian Games, which is a qualifier for the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, with the Asian Games now postponed to next year owing to the COVID-19 situation in China, HI decided to pick a strong team for the prestigious event.
Manpreet's return as captain of the 18-member side for the quadrennial games could see India recreate the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games magic, where they won bronze after a gap of more than four decades. Add to it the fact that drag-flick specialist and vice-captain Harmanpreet Singh is the highest goal-scorer of the FIH Pro League, India can look forward to a sterling performance in Birmingham.
The squad includes the experienced goalkeeper PR Sreejesh and Krishan B Pathak, who returns to the team after a brief injury break. Defenders Varun Kumar, Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh and Jarmanpreet Singh have been named in the team.
The midfield includes the experience of Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Shamsher Singh, Akashdeep Singh and Nilakanta Sharma, while experienced strikers Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Gurjant Singh and Abhishek will lead the charge in attack.
In their previous outing at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, India suffered disappointment finishing fourth. However, after an impressive outing in the FIH Pro League this year, the Indian team is poised to achieve success in Birmingham.
Indian men's hockey coach Graham Reid with Harmanpreet Singh.
(Photo: Hockey India)
Speaking about the team selection, chief coach Graham Reid said, "We have gone with a tried-and-tested team for the Commonwealth Games. These players have the experience of playing top teams in high pressure games in the FIH Pro League which was a good exposure for us ahead of the prestigious quadrennial event.
"After a brief break when we return home from Netherlands, we will resume camp in SAI, Bengaluru where we will analyze our performance against Belgium and Netherlands. While there are many takeaways from this outing in FIH Pro League, there surely are a few areas that we can improve upon ahead of the Commonwealth Games," said Reid.
Indian Men's Hockey Team for CWG
Goalkeepers: PR Sreejesh, Krishan Bahadur Pathak.
Defenders: Varun Kumar, Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh.
Midfielders: Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Shamsher Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Nilakanta Sharma.
Forwards: Mandeep Singh, Gurjant Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Abhishek.
(With inputs from IANS)
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