India name 27-member men's squad for hockey test series against Australia

The tour will begin on April 6.

Hockey India on Monday named a 27-member Indian men’s hockey team for the upcoming Australia Tour with the first match starting on 6 April in Perth, Australia.

The Indian team will be led by ace dragflicker and defender Harmanpreet Singh and vice captained by midfielder Hardik Singh in the five-match tour which will be a litmus test for the team in their preparations for the Paris Olympics 2024.

The team will feature PR Sreejesh, Krishan B Pathak, Suraj Karkera, Harmanpreet Singh, Araijeet Singh Hundal, Mandeep Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Gurjant Singh, Hardik Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Jugraj Singh, Vishnukant Singh, Raj Kumar Pal, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Boby Singh Dhami, Nilakanta Sharma, Sumit, Sanjay, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Shamsher Singh, Manpreet Singh, Amir Ali, Mohammed Raheel Mouseen, Jarmanpreet Singh and Amit Rohidas. 

Chief Coach Craig Fulton has opted to go with the almost entire core group in order to give players optimum chance to showcase their potential before the final 16-member hockey team is selected for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

“This will be a very important tour for us as it will not only ascertain the level we are at and the areas we want to get better ahead of the Paris Olympics, but this is also an important tournament for the players. We chose to go with the almost entire core group so that each player gets enough opportunity to showcase their full potential and also it is a good tour to test different combinations,” expressed Fulton. 

“Playing against a team like Australia who are one of the potential podium finishers in Paris will be challenging and at the same time an enriching experience for the level of competition they bring to the matches. It will be a good exposure trip and we are looking forward to it,” he added. 

The team will be playing matches starting 6th April, with their second match on 7th April followed by a match on 10th, 12th and 13th April. The Indian team will leave from New Delhi on 1st April and will return on 15th April 2024.

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Indian men’s hockey team for Australia Tour 

Goalkeepers: Krishan Bahadur Pathak, PR Sreejesh, Suraj Karkera

Defenders: Harmanpreet Singh (C), Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Sanjay, Sumit, Amir Ali

Midfielders: Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh (VC), Vivek Sagar Prasad, Shamsher Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Rajkumar Pal, Vishnukant Singh

Forwards: Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Abhishek, Dilpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Gurjant Singh, Mohammed Raheel Mouseen, Boby Singh Dhami, Araijeet Singh Hundal

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