For the senior men’s national camp, which will take place at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar from March 12 to 30, Hockey India went with the tried and tested, naming a core roster of 28 players.
Aiming to refine preparations for this year’s Olympics in Paris (2024), the Indian team’s upcoming camp is important.
Having played eight games in the Bhubaneswar and Rourkela legs of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023–24, the team is currently ranked third with 15 points. Following this successful campaign, the team returns to camp.
In Antwerp, Belgium, on May 22, the league will resume. On June 1, it will move to London, and for the last leg, it will move to the Netherlands.
Goalies Krishan Bahadur Pathak, PR Sreejesh, and Suraj Karkera, as well as defenders Harmanpreet Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Sanjay, Sumit, and Amir Ali, make up the camp’s core group.
Among the midfielders selected for the camp are Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Shamsher Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Rajkumar Pal, and Vishnukant Singh.
Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Abhishek, Dilpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Gurjant Singh, Mohammed Raheel Mouseen, Boby Singh Dhami, and Araijeet Singh Hundal are the forwards invited to the camp.
Chief coach of the Indian men’s hockey team Craig Fulton explained the significance of the upcoming camp, saying, “We are looking to begin an important block of training in this camp, and we need to ensure we are in the best shape possible before heading for a series of Test matches in Australia.”
“We have selected a group of seasoned players in addition to some young players who have experience playing in the Pro League because the players selected for the camp will be eligible to participate in the forthcoming important games.”
“The Pro League mini-tournament in Odisha proved to be an excellent testing ground, but there is always room for improvement, and we will look to set things straight well before the final leg of the Pro League and the Paris 2024 Olympics,” he stated.
Core Group of the Indian Men’s Hockey Team: 28 players
Goalkeepers: Suraj Karkera, PR Sreejesh, and Krishan Bahadur Pathak.
Defendants: Amit Rohidas, Harmanpreet Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Jugraj Singh, Sanjay, Sumit, and Amir Ali.
Midfielders: Shamsher Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Rajkumar Pal, Vishnukant Singh, Rabichandra Singh Moirangthem, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, and Manpreet Singh
Forwards: Mohammed Raheel Mouseen, Boby Singh Dhami, Araijeet Singh Hundal, Abhishek, Dilpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Gurjant Singh, Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, and Akashdeep Singh.
