Hockey India on Wednesday named the 22-member Indian men’s team that will take on Argentina in the upcoming FIH Men’s Hockey Pro League double-header this weekend at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
Moirangthem Rabichandra Singh, who was part of the junior national squad at the FIH Junior Men’s World Cup, will be the lone new face in the team for the matches against Argentina scheduled for 19th and 20th March 2022.
The 22-member squad includes goalkeepers PR Sreejesh, Krishan Bahadur Pathak, defenders Harmanpreet Singh, Jugraj Singh, Surender Kumar, Varun Kumar, Jarmanpreet Singh and Amit Rohidas.
In midfield, Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Hardik Singh, Sumit, Shamsher Singh, Nilakanta Sharma and debutant Moirangthem Rabichandra Singh will play. The forward line will see Gurjant Singh return to the squad after a brief injury break. He is joined by Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Shilanand Lakra, Sukhjeet Singh, Dilpreet Singh and Abhishek.
Additionally, Suraj Karkera, Mandeep Mor, Dipsan Tirkey, Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Sanjay, Jaskaran Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Ashis Kumar Topno as well as Gursahibjit Singh and Mohd. Raheel have been named as standbys.
“These games will provide great exposure for young, new players coming up the ranks, while as a team we are also getting to work out different combinations ahead of the Asian Games,” coach Graham Reid said.
“Rabichandra is an exciting young midfielder who showed a solid glimpse into what he can bring to the team during the Junior World Cup. I am looking forward to seeing the defensive pressure he takes to the opposition and his uncanny control with the ball, both great assets in the way we like to play. We also have Gurjant returning to the squad and we continue to try Jugraj, Sukhjeet and Abhishek who are showing good potential,” he added.
The Indian Team has thus far played six matches in this season of FIH Hockey Pro League. They beat South Africa at home (10-2, 10-2) and won and lost a match to France (5-0, 2-5) and Spain (5-4, 3-5). India is currently placed second in the pool standing with a total of 12 points while the Netherlands are on top of the pool standings with 16 points.
Indian Team:
Goalkeepers:
Sreejesh PR
Krishan Bahadur Pathak
Defenders:
Harmanpreet Singh
Jugraj Singh
Surender Kumar
Varun Kumar
Jarmanpreet Singh
Amit Rohidas
Midfielders:
Manpreet Singh
Vivek Sagar Prasad
Hardik Singh
Sumit
Shamsher Singh
Nilakanta Sharma
Moirangthem Rabichandra Singh
Forwards:
Gurjant Singh
Mandeep Singh
Lalit Kumar Upadhyay
Shilanand Lakra
Sukhjeet Singh
Abhishek
Dilpreet Singh
Standbys:
Suraj Karkera
Mandeep Mor
Dipsan Tirkey
Nilam Sanjeep Xess
Sanjay
Jaskaran Singh
Akashdeep Singh
Ashis Kumar Topno
Gursahibjit Singh
Mohd. Raheel
India will play Argentina on 19th and 20th March at 19.30 hrs (IST) at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium. The Match on 19th March will be live on Star Sports First and Disney + Hotstar while the match on 20th March will be available only on Disney + Hotstar.