Hockey: India Names Pro League Squad

The list was released on Wednesday prior to their match against Argentina in the FIH Men's Hockey Pro League double-header that took place at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Now, the Indian men's hockey team will expect to hold the top spot in the points table when they square off against England in the FIH Pro League 2021/22 matches on April 2-3. The England men's hockey team reached Bhubaneswar, Odisha, on March 30, 2022, and is waiting to face the newly named Indian hockey squad for the year.

The New Lineup Excites Coach Graham

A new entry that could change things for Indian hockey is midfielder Moirangthem Rabichandra Singh, who was in the Indian junior men's squad at the FIH Junior Men's World Cup. He was the sole new addition to the team for the matches against Argentina that happened on March 19, 20, 2022. The 22-member team includes goalkeepers Krishan Bahadur Pathak, PR Sreejesh, defenders Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh (vice-captain), Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Varun Kumar, Amit Rohidas (captain), and Jugraj Singh.

The midfield arena will be occupied by Jaskaran Singh, Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Shamsher Singh, Raj Kumar Pal, Sumit, and Vivek Sagar Prasad besides debutant Moirangthem. The forward lineup will witness Gurjant Singh's return after a brief injury break. Other players include Mandeep Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Abhishek, Gursahibjit Singh, and Shilanand Lakra. Furthermore, the list of players on standby includes Suraj Karkera, Jarmanpreet Singh, Dipsan Tirkey, Gurinder Singh, Mandeep Mor, Sanjay, Akashdeep Singh, Moirangthem Rabichandra Singh, Ashis Kumar Topno, Mohd. Raheel Mouseen, Dilpreet Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, and Simranjeet Singh.

"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," Chief Coach Graham Reid revealed. Before their match against England, he further said, "It has been quite exciting to see how some of the younger players are grabbing the opportunity to play in the Pro League and have been showing great potential. It is good for us to have these options and we have been using this platform to try out different combinations. England has a talented squad and no doubt the matches this weekend will be quite exciting."

Graham Pinning His Hopes on to Bright Players

The head coach had a lot to say about the potential of his team. "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," Reid stated. India is ranked second in the pool standing with a total of 12 points behind the Netherlands who are leading with 16 points.