~ Apart from the back-to-back FIH Hockey Pro League matches, the Indian Team led by Manpreet Singh will also play four practice matches against the Olympic Champions Argentina ~
New Delhi, 30 March 2021: Hockey India on Tuesday announced the 22-member Indian Men's Hockey Team who will take on Olympic Champions Argentina in the FIH Hockey Pro League matches on 11th and 12 April 2021 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Indian Team will also play two practice matches against the home team on 6th and 7th April 2021 ahead of their FIH Hockey Pro League clash followed by two more practice matches on 13th and 14 April 2021 as part of their preparations for the Tokyo Olympic Games this July.
India's tour of Argentina will see the return of experienced midfielder and Skipper Manpreet Singh who had opted out of the recent Europe tour due to personal reasons while his compatriot and experienced dragflick specialist Rupinder Pal Singh as well as Varun Kumar who had missed out the previous tour owing to rehab will also be back in the mix for India.
The 22-member squad led by Manpreet Singh and Vice-Captain Harmanpreet Singh includes goalkeepers PR Sreejesh and Krishan Bahadur Pathak. Amit Rohidas, Gurinder Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Surender Kumar, Birendra Lakra, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Raj Kumar Pal, Nilakanta Sharma, Shamsher Singh, Gurjant Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh and Lalit Kumar Upadhyay remain unchanged from the previous tour. The team also includes Jaskaran Singh, Sumit and Shilanand Lakra who will be playing their first international match in over a year.
Meanwhile experienced players Akashdeep Singh, Ramandeep Singh and Simranjeet Singh who were part of the Europe Tour have been rested.
"Once again, we are excited about being able to travel overseas for international competition. We are taking a 22-man squad attempting to provide a good balance between giving experience to those players who need it and opportunities for players to perform on the international stage in the lead-up to the Tokyo Olympics," stated Chief Coach Graham Reid about the team selection.
Reid further stated, "We will be playing four practice games against Argentina and two all-important FIH Hockey Pro League matches. To play the Olympic Champions is always an honour and a privilege in our sport and especially challenging to play them in their own country. Argentina play a different style of game to the teams we played in Europe, and we will be using this tour as a great opportunity to continue our growth and development before Tokyo. These games will provide opportunities to hone our skills and tactics in a period where all teams have been starved of international competition. Given how challenging it is to move around the world like we once did, we appreciate the efforts of SAI, Hockey India, Argentine Hockey Confederation (CAH) and FIH for making these matches possible."
The Indian Team will leave for Buenos Aires on 31 March for the 16-day tour from Bengaluru following the mandatory RTPCR tests within 72 hours prior to their departure.
Indian Team list:
1. P R Sreejesh
2. Krishan Bahadur Pathak
3. Amit Rohidas
4. Gurinder Singh
5. Harmanpreet Singh (Vice Captain)
6. Surender Kumar
7. Rupinderpal Singh
8. Varun Kumar
9. Birendra Lakra
10. Jaskaran Singh
11. Hardik Singh
12. Manpreet Singh (Captain)
13. Vivek Sagar Prasad
14. Raj Kumar Pal
15. Sumit
16. Nilakanta Sharma
17. Shamsher Singh
18. Gurjant Singh
19. Dilpreet Singh
20. Mandeep Singh
21. Lalit Kumar Upadhyay
22. Shilanand Lakra
More News
view All
‘National Women's Hockey League provides a platform for our top women's hockey talent to showcase their skills and compete at the highest domestic level’, says Bhola Nath Singh
Hockey India Secretary General Shri Bhola Nath Singh on Thursday in a press conference held at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astroturf Hockey Stadium, in Ranchi spoke to reports about the importance of the much-awaited National Women’s Hockey League 2024-25. Phase 1 of the league will be held in Ranchi from 30th April to 9th May 2024, marking a historic moment for women's hockey in India. This first-of-its-kind domestic league promises to be a thrilling showcase of the nation's top female hockey talent.
'Learning experience to train alongside senior players,' says Indian Women's Hockey Team defender Ropni Kumari
Ropni Kumari, Indian Women’s Hockey Team defender, looked back on the previous year and explained how consistent opportunities to play with the Indian Junior Women's Hockey Team have contributed to her development. The 19-year-old was part of the team that claimed the Gold medal at the Women's Junior Asia Cup 2023 and also travelled with the team to Dusseldorf, Germany for the 2023 4 Nations Junior Women's Invitational Tournament. Ropni was also a key player for the side at the 2023 FIH Junior World Cup in Santiago, Chile and played in all six games.
