Manpreet Singh to lead 18-member Indian men's hockey team in 2022 Commonwealth Games
Manpreet Singh will lead an 18-member Indian men's hockey team at the upcoming Commonwealth Games to be held from July 28 to August 8, 2022 in Birmingham. Ace dragflick specialist Harmanpreet Singh has been named as his deputy.
The Indian men's team is placed in Pool B along with England, Canada, Wales and Ghana. The Manpreet Singh-led team will begin their campaign on July 31 against Ghana.
Having finished fourth at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, India will go all out to secure a place on the podium this time around.
Read: India at CWG 2022: Full list of Indian athletes who have qualified for Commonwealth Games 2022 (Updated)
Manpreet Singh led the Indian team to a historic bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics while Harmanpreet Singh finished as the highest goal-scorer in the recently concluded FIH Hockey Pro League. The selectors have clearly banked on experience for the upcoming edition of the Commonwealth Games.
Speaking about the team selection, chief coach Graham Reid said the think-tank has decided to go with a tried-and-tested team for the showpiece event.
"We have gone with a tried-and-tested team for the Commonwealth Games. These players have the experience of playing top teams in high pressure games in the FIH Pro League, which was a good exposure for us ahead of the prestigious quadrennial event," Reid was quoted as saying by Hockey India.
The team will assemble at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) training center in Bengaluru for a camp ahead of the Commonwealth Games.
Indian hockey team for Commonwealth Games
The following 18 Indian players have been selected for the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
Goalkeepers: Sreejesh P.R and Krishan Bahadur Pathak
Defenders: Varun Kumar, Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh (vice-captain), Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, and Jarmanpreet Singh.
Midfielders: Manpreet Singh (captain), Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Shamsher Singh, Akashdeep Singh, and Nilakanta Sharma
Forwards: Mandeep Singh, Gurjant Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, and Abhishek.
Indian team's schedule at Commonwealth Games
India have been placed in Pool B alongside Ghana, England, Canada and Wales.
Here's their schedule:
Match 1: India vs Ghana
Date: July 31, 2022 Timings: 8:30 pm IST
Match 2: England vs India
Date: August 1, 2022 Timings: 8:30 pm IST
Match 3: Canada vs India
Date: August 3, 2022 Timings: 6:30 pm IST
Match 3: India vs Wales
Date: August 4, 2022 Timings: 6:30 pm IST
Also read: "We have become a team who fight till the end" - Indian forward Lalit Upadhyay