The Indian hockey team will be playing its second world cup on the home turf in a row and this time around, nothing short of a medal is expected from the blue sticks.
Which players have been selected in India’s squad for the FIH Men’s World Cup 2023?
Goalkeepers: Krishan Bahadur Pathak, PR Sreejesh
Defenders: Jarmanpreet Singh, Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh (captain), Varun Kumar, Amit Rohidas (vice-captain), Nilam Sanjeep Xess
Midfielders: Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Shamsher Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Akashdeep Singh
Forwards: Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh
Alternate players: Rajkumar Pal, Jugraj Singh
Head coach: Graham Reid
The Indian head coach feels that for one “Hockey only” event that gets highlighted worldwide, the Indian side chosen is the best among the available options. PR Sreejesh, the man who has waited all his life for a World Cup medal, will be guarding the goalpost once again and will be in a great mood having fulfilled one of his desires of getting an Olympics medal. The other goalkeeper would be KB Pathak.
In the defence, India have experienced players like Jarmanpreet Singh, Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh and Varun Kumar. With the departure of Rupinderpal Singh, the captaincy honours have been bestowed upon Harmanpreet and Amit Rohidas, another tight man with the drag flicks, would be his deputy for the all-important tournament.
The midfield will be manned by the Olympics bronze-winning skipper Manpreet Singh. He would be helped by the likes of Nilakanta Sharma, Vivek Sagar Prasad and Akashdeep Singh. All these players have played enough to know the in and outs of their opposition team members. Samsher Singh and Hardik Singh will be subbed in for the above four mentioned players.
In the striking range, the experience of Mandeep Singh and Lalit Upadhyay will be mixed up with the youth and exuberance of Abhishek and Sukhjeet Singh
What is India’s schedule for the FIH Men’s World Cup 2023?
India vs Spain- January 13th, 2023- 07:00 pm IST at the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium, Rourkela
India vs England, January 15th, 2023- 07:00 pm IST at the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium, Rourkela
India vs Wales, January 19th, 2023- 07:00 pm IST at Kalinga International Stadium, Bhubaneswar
Depending on where India finish in the group stage, their fixtures will be decided later on.
How can people watch India’s matches at the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023?
All the matches of the Indian team alongside the remaining games of the World Cup will be broadcast live on Star Sports network on TV. The same matches will also be live streamed on the Hotstar App as well.