Hockey News: India names 23-member Indian Men's Hockey Team for the Tour of Australia

The Indian men's hockey squad is traveling to Australia in preparation for the 2023 FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup and will play five matches in Australia.

The Indian and Australian hockey squads have developed a ferocious rivalry on the pitch over the last few years. It will be the first clash between both teams since India lost the final to Australia at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

Australian co-captain Eddie Ockenden currently has 398 international caps under his belt and will be playing at his 400th International match during the Indian Tour of Australia.

The Indian contingent will be led by experienced forward Harmanpreet Singh, with Amit Rohidas as the Vice-Captain. The defensive sensation Varun Kumar will be returning to the Indian squad after missing the FIH Hockey Pro League against Spain and New Zealand in Odisha.

The Indian men's squad named for the Tour of Australia

Forwards: Mandeep Singh, Abhishek, Dilpreet Singh and Sukhjeet Singh

Midfielders: Sumit, Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Mohd. Raheel Mouseen, Shamsher Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Rajkumar Pal, Akashdeep Singh and Gurjant Singh

Defenders: Jarmanpreet Singh, Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh (Captain), Amit Rohidas (Vice Captain), Jugraj Singh, Mandeep Mor, Nilam Sanjeep Xess and Varun Kumar

Goalkeepers: Sreejesh Parattu Raveendran and Krishan Bahadur Pathak 

After the Indian men's squad was named, the Chief Coach of the Indian men's hockey squad Graham Reid said, upcoming tour to Australia is an excellent opportunity for us to test ourselves against one of the top contenders at the forthcoming FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup Bhubaneswar-Rourkela 2023."

He added, "We have picked a solid line of experienced players who we believe can help us get the desired results. We have also infused the team with a blend of youngsters to give them exposure to top-level competition and test the depth of our squad."

The Indian and Australian hockey squads have developed a ferocious rivalry on the pitch over the last few years. It will be the first clash between both teams since India lost the final to Australia at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

Australian co-captain Eddie Ockenden currently has 398 international caps under his belt and will be playing at his 400th International match during the Indian Tour of Australia.