Hockey India has announced the 24-member Indian men’s team for the FIH Pro League, which is going to start from February 16 in Odisha. This competition will be organized in two phases in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. In which the first phase will start in Bhubaneswar on 10th February and will end on 16th February while the second phase in Rourkela will start on 19th February and will end on 25th February. Starting its campaign against Spain on February 10, India will play two matches each against Ireland, Netherlands, Spain and Australia in both the legs.
On the selection of the Indian team, head coach Craig Fulton said, “We have carefully selected a well-balanced team, which blends experienced expertise with the enthusiasm of youth. “Our goal is to create a cohesive unit capable of competing at the highest level.” He said that in this competition, the Indian team will be led by the experienced pair of drag-flicking Harmanpreet Singh and midfielder vice-captain Hardik Singh. The responsibility of goalkeeping will be on Sreejesh Parattu Ravindran and Krishna Bahadur Pathak. While the defensive lineup includes Harmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Jarmanpreet Singh, Varun Kumar, Sumit, Sanjay, Jugraj Singh and Vashnikant Singh.
Whereas the midfield section will be commanded by energetic players like Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Shamsher Singh, Rajkumar Pal, Neelkanth Sharma and Rabichandra Singh Moirangthem. The forward line has Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Mandeep Singh, Gurjant Singh, Sukhjit Singh, Abhishek, Akashdeep Singh and Araijit Singh Hundal.
Head coach Craig Fulton said that the FIH Pro League is an ideal platform to hone our strategies and measure our skills against top-tier opponents. The importance of the league is paramount. This is an opportunity to point out areas for improvement. We are confident that this competition will enhance our performance and prepare us to face the coming challenges with confidence.
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