Harmanpreet Singh to lead Indian hockey team in Asian Champions Trophy

Harmanpreet Singh will lead an 18-member Indian men’s hockey team at the upcoming Asian Champions Trophy. Experienced midfielder Vivek Sagar Prasad will be Harmanpreet’s deputy for the tournament.

The Asian Champions Trophy will be played in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia in China from September 8 to 17. India are the defending champions of the tournament.

Krishan Bahadur Pathak and Suraj Karkera will be the goalkeepers with Pathak ready to take on the reins as the team’s numero uno goalkeeper after veteran PR Sreejesh called it a day after the Paris Olympics 2024.

The Indian team for the prestigious Asian tournament has been picked with a good mix of youth and experience. While ten players from the Paris Olympics 2024 make the cut, the remaining eight players will be gunning to get maximum international exposure under their belt.

Hardik Singh, Mandeep Singh, Lalit Upadhyay, Shamsher Singh and Gurjant Singh, who were a part of the Paris Olympics 2024, have been rested for the Asian Champions Trophy.

Indian hockey team’s chief coach Craig Fulton said the tournament is an important one and the team aims to build on ranking points. “This is an important campaign for us to ensure we build on our ranking points. The team has just returned to the camp after all the celebrations following our performance in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” he said.

Fulton added that the team is ready for the challenge and the grind of the new Olympic cycle. “The new Olympic cycle for us begins with the Asian Champions Trophy and we are ready for the challenge. While we have rested a few players from the squad that played in Paris, we have brought in a few youngsters who have done well in training and have earned the opportunity to play in Asian Champions Trophy. We will have Gurjot making his international debut, and I believe this is a great opportunity for youngsters who have received a call-up to shine. As a team, we want to continue to dominate in the Asian continent and we will go to China to retain the title,” the coach explained.

India, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Japan and hosts China will be taking part in the tournament.

India will play China on September 8 and meet Japan the next day. They will lock horns with Malaysia on September 11 and play Korea on September 12. The marquee India vs Pakistan clash will take place on September 14. The semifinals and the final will take place on September 16 and 17th respectively.

Indian hockey team:

Goalkeepers: Krishan Bahadur Pathak and Suraj Karkera

Defenders: Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Harmanpreet Singh (captain), Jugraj Singh, Sanjay and Sumit

Midfielders: Raj Kumar Pal, Nilakanta Sharma, Vivek Sagar Prasad (vice captain), Manpreet Singh and Mohd. Raheel Mouseen

Forwards: Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Araijeet Singh Hundal, Uttam Singh and Gurjot Singh