24-member Indian men’s hockey team announced for 5-nation tournament

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New Delhi. Hockey India on Thursday announced the 24-member Indian men’s hockey squad for the upcoming 5-nation tournament Valencia 2023 to be held in Valencia, Spain from December 15 to 22.

India will play against hosts Spain, Germany, France and Belgium in the 5-nation tournament which will serve as a preparation program ahead of the 2023-24 FIH Hockey Pro League matches.

The 24-member squad, which has a mix of experienced and young faces, will be led by ace drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh. Sumit and Amit Rohidas have been named as Harman’s deputies for this tour.

Suraj Karkera will return to the side along with PR Sreejesh and Krishna B Pathak who are regulars in the goalkeeping department.

The defence, will be led by captain Harmanpreet Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Jugraj Singh, Amit Rohidas, Varun Kumar, Sumit, Sanjay and Neelam along with Sanjeep Zess.

The midfield consists of Vivek Sagar Prasad, Neelkanth Sharma, Rajkumar Pal, Shamsher Singh and young faces like Yashdeep Siwach and Rabichandra Singh Moirangthem.

Meanwhile, the forward line includes Mandeep Singh, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Karthi Selvam, Dilpreet Singh and Akashdeep Singh.

Speaking on the team selection, Indian men’s hockey team head coach Craig Fulton said, “We are going with a balanced team with a good mix of youth and experience. The tournament will provide us a great platform to try new things and adjust.” It will also provide a great opportunity for young players to showcase their talent and experience the pressure of facing the world’s top teams.”

“The next seven months are very important for us. We have a lot of matches to play before the Paris 2024 Olympics and it is very important that we follow a process and move forward gradually,” he said.

–IANS

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