Manpreet new hockey skipper
New Delhi, Sept. 26: India mid-fielder Manpreet Singh will take over the captaincy from P. R. Sreejesh in the Asian Champions Trophy in Muscat next month, marking the hockey team’s first major tournament after the retirement of Sardar Singh.
Hockey India on Wednesday named the 18member team beginning on October 18.
India will go into the tournament as the defending champions after they won the 2016 edition when they beat Pakistan 3-2 in the final in Kauntan, Malaysia.
Chinglensana Singh has been named Manpreet’s deputy. Alongside experienced goalkeeper in Sreejesh, the team also features young goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak, while the defensive unit will see seasoned defender Kothajit Singh Khadangbam make a comeback.
Harmanpreet Singh, Gurinder Singh, Varun Kumar, Surender Kumar and Jarmanpreet Singh will also be involved in India’s defence while 20year-old Hardik Singh will be making his debut for the senior team.
Skipper Manpreet, the recipient of this year’s Arjuna Award, will be responsible of commanding the midfield along with the experienced Chinglensana.
The midfield duo will be joined by Lalit Kumar Upadhyay while Nilakanta Sharma and Sumit will also make a comeback into the side.
India’s forward-line will see Gurjant Singh return to the squad while Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh and Dilpreet Singh will hope to score more. — PTI