Hockey India on Saturday announced the 18-member Indian Men’s Hockey team for the Asia Cup 2017 which will take place from the 11th to 22nd October in Dhaka. The team will be captained by Manpreet Singh while S.V Sunil will shoulder the duties of vice-captain.
After giving a few junior players some exposure in the recent Europe Tour, Hockey India chose to go with a little more experience in the squad this time around. Goalkeepers Akash Chikte and Suraj Karkera retain their spot in the squad whereas defenders Harmanpreet Singh and Surender Kumar make a return after being rested for the Europe Tour.
The 18-member team will also see the return of experienced hands in Sardar Singh, SV Sunil, Akashdeep Singh and Satbir Singh.
“I am looking forward to working with the team which has been picked to have a good blend of experience and youth. The upcoming Asia Cup 2017 will be our first tournament together, and I am very excited to see how the team expresses their leadership qualities on the field. I have previously watched the team live in Netherlands, and I feel that the energy within the team and their play is very impressive. We will be focusing on performing well as a team and will be aiming to win the tournament,” expressed chief coach Sjoerd Marijne.
India feature in Pool A alongside Japan, hosts Bangladesh and Pakistan. They will start their tournament against Japan on October 11 before facing Bangladesh on October 13. The team will play their third and final league match of the Asia Cup against Pakistan on October 15.
Ahead of their departure for the Asia Cup 2017, the national squad will continue their national camp until October 5.
Goalkeepers
Akash Anil Chikte
Suraj Karkera
Defenders
Dipsan Tirkey
Kothajit Singh
Surender Kumar
Harmanpreet Singh
Varun Kumar
Midfielders
SK Uthappa
Sardar Singh
Manpreet Singh (Captain)
Chinglensana Singh
Sumit
Forwards
SV Sunil (Vice Captain)
Akashdeep Singh
Ramandeep Singh
Lalit Kumar Upadhyay
Gurjant Singh
Satbir Singh