New Delhi, 17 October 2017: The Indian Junior Men’s Hockey Team today left for the 7th Sultan of Johor Cup 2017 which begins on 22 October, 2017 in Johor Bahru, Malaysia from the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi.

The Indian team, Captained by Vivek Sagar Prasad with Pratap Lakra his deputy, will go into the tournament aiming to gain exposure and experience against players from the top international teams at the Junior level. Japan, Australia, Great Britain, USA and Malaysia are the other five participating teams in the tournament, against whom India will play a match each through the round robin format.

The 18-member team had been going through the grind at the National Camp at SAI, Lucknow. Coach Jude Felix who is confident about his team’s chances at the 7th Sultan of Johor Cup 2017 believes that the tournament will help the players in getting used to delivering the kind of performance that is required to win major trophies at the international stage. “We have done our preparations at the National Camp keeping in mind the teams we will be up against at the Sultan of Johor Cup. It is important for this young bunch to get accustomed to performing against the top teams and players from across the world. I am confident that we will showcase top-quality hockey in Malaysia,” said Jude Felix.

The Indian team finished Runners-Up the last time they took part in the 5th Sultan of Johor Cup in 2015 and Captain Vivek Sagar Prasad is aiming to better that result. “We have a great bunch of players in our squad who have shown cohesion during our National Camp. All of the team members bring something extra to our style of play and it will stand us in good stead ahead of the tournament’s opening match against Japan,” said Prasad, who hails from Madhya Pradesh.

A good performance at the 7th Sultan of Johor Cup 2017 will prove to be a stepping stone for the Indian team which starts their journey of retaining the Men’s Hockey Junior World Cup title.

The Indian Junior Men’s Hockey team will begin their campaign against Japan on 22 October, 2017 at 13.35hrs IST.

Dhaka (Bangladesh), 15 October, 2017: The Indian Men’s Hockey Team continued their good form in their Hero Asia Cup 2017 campaign with a third successive win beating arch-rivals Pakistan 3-1 in a high intensity Pool A match here at the Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium today. Goals from Chinglensana Singh (17’), Ramandeep Singh (44’) and Harmanpreet Singh (45’) ensured the top spot in Pool A for India.

The match between the two arch rivals started evenly balanced as both sides looked threatening on the attack looking to clinch the opener. India saw plenty of possession inside Pakistan’s box in the early stages of the first quarter but could not convert it into a goal. On the other hand, Pakistan defended well and looked to hurt India on the counter which saw them earn a penalty corner in the last minute of first quarter which they failed to convert as the teams ended the first quarter goal-less.

The second quarter started well for the Indians as they produced some slick passing to take the lead in the 17th minute. Akashdeep Singh showed some speed on the left flank to inject pace into the attack and then found Chinglensana Singh in the D-area, who finished the move with a sublime hit to give India the lead. Pakistan had a glorious chance of equalising in the 23rd minute as they earned a penalty corner, but India’s Goalkeeper Suraj Karkera made a great save to deny the neighbours. Two minutes later, the Indian goalkeeper made another great save from a fierce shot from open play as he was kept busy by Pakistan’s attack towards the latter stages of the second quarter. However, India’s defence was up to the task at hand, and showed good cohesion to deny their opponents as they took the lead into half-time.

A good performance in the third quarter was essential for both the teams to get a grip on the match. India had the chance to tighten the noose on the match as two Pakistan players were awarded yellow cards, but the Pakistan’s defence held their nerves. India were then awarded a penalty corner in the 40th minute but they could not make the most of it as the flick went wide by Varun Kumar. Pakistan also could not make the most of their opportunities as India continued to dominate possession. The Indians extended their lead to three goals as they scored two goals in two minutes towards the end of the third quarter. First, it was Ramandeep Singh who scored in the 44th minute as he got at the end of a long pass by Harmanpreet Singh from the right flank and then it was the latter who was in action once again as he converted a penalty corner in the 45th minute to make it 3-0 for India at the end of the third quarter.

Pakistan started the fourth quarter on the attack which saw them pull one goal back when Sardar Singh’s pass was intercepted inside India’s circle by Pakistan’s Muhammad Arslan Qadir whose shot fell to fellow teammate Ali Shan, who put it past Goalkeeper Akash Chikte in the 49th minute to make it 3-1. India kept their shape in the last 10 minutes of the match to finish the match 3-1 in their favour.

India and Pakistan will face each other again in Hero Asia Cup 2017 as they have both qualified for the Super 4s stage of the tournament.

Matches will be shown Live on Star Sports 2, Star Sports HD 2 and Hotstar.

Dhaka (Bangladesh), 11 October 2017: Indian Men’s Hockey Team started off their Hero Asia Cup 2017 campaign with a 5-1 win over Japan here today. SV Sunil (3’), Lalit Upadhyay (22’), Ramandeep Singh (33’), Harmanpreet Singh (35’, 48’) were the goal-scorers for India as they emerged victorious.

The Indian team started the match with an early goal in the 3rd minute which came on the counter as Akashdeep Singh played a forward pass to SV Sunil, who then got behind the goalkeeper to score. However, Japan were quick to equalize as they won the ball at the half-line, and scored through Kenji Kitazato in the 4th minute to make it 1-1.

Both the teams looked threatening in the second quarter as they looked to get the lead in the match. India’s counter attacking was again sublime in the 22nd minute as forward Lalit Upadhyay beautifully brought down a long ball, made a turn and shot at the Japanese goal to give the lead to Asia’s number one ranked team.

The third quarter also went India’s way as they scored just two minutes after the resumption of play when Ramandeep Singh made a fierceful strike from the right flank to score India’s third goal of the day in the 33rd minute. The Indian team then won a penalty corner in the 35th minute which was well converted by drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh to make it 4-1 in India’s favour. India did not let Japan make a comeback into the game and kept the possession to end the third quarter with the same score-line.

Fourth quarter was all about keeping shape and possession for the Indian team but they did not stop attacking the Japanese defence as they won a penalty corner in the 48th minute. It was Harmanpreet Singh who scored his second goal of the match to make it 5-1 in India’s favour. The Indian team held onto the score-line as they kept out Japan’s late efforts to pull a goal back.

India will now play Bangladesh in their next Pool A encounter on Friday 13 October 2017 at 17.00hrs IST.

Dhaka Bangladesh, 10 October 2017: The Indian Men’s Hockey Team will take on Japan as they open their campaign in the Hero Asia Cup 2017 here at the Maulana Bhashani National Stadium in Dhaka on Wednesday. Though India are clear favourites for the title and interestingly also have the backing of the local crowd who welcomed the team with loud cheers during their practice match on Monday against Oman, they need to bring their top game to every match to ensure they top Pool A which will also see Bangladesh and Pakistan in the fray.

“The opening match of the tournament is always challenging because we need to get over the early nervousness and find our rhythm. We have had two good practice sessions on the main pitch and even played a practice match against Oman. The team is upbeat and ready for the first challenge,” stated skipper Manpreet Singh on the eve of their first match.

India previously played Japan in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup earlier this year where they beat them 4-3. It’s Japan’s ability to play fast-paced hockey with good attack that makes them an unpredictable team. At the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup they set up a shocking 3-2 win over World No.2 Australia. “We have seen how they play and they are definitely one of the fastest improving sides in Asia. We can never take Japan to be an easy team,” expressed Manpreet.

India’s defence line-up saw a minor change with the experienced Kothajit Singh missing out due to an injury. “But we are now joined by Amit Rohidas who has just returned from a good outing at the Australian Hockey League and he did well during India’s tour of Belgium and Holland so we don’t see Kothajit’s absence as a set-back,” explained Manpreet.

On the other hand, Japanese National Coach Siegfried Aikman minced no words when he said that every team stands a chance to make the final in this tournament. “It’s a major tournament which gives us the opportunity to play at the highest level. The World Cup qualifier makes it even more challenging for us but reality learns that we need to know our place in the ranking. We stand for a huge challenge to compete with outstanding teams in our group. However, this is sports and in sports its always possible to flip the script. So, let’s wait and see,” he stated.

Speaking about India in the tournament, Aikman said, “I think that India has the best chances as the highest ranked team in this tournament. But behind India almost all countries can surprise. As I said before we don’t come only to participate we came to achieve our goals.”

On 11 October 2017, India will take on Japan in their first Pool A match at 14.30 hours IST.

Matches will be shown Live on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports HD 2 and Hotstar.

Dhaka (Bangladesh), 09 October, 2017: The countdown to the much-awaited Hero Hockey Asia Cup Bangladesh 2017 is finally over with the coveted event starting on October 11 at the Maulana Bhashani National Stadium here in Dhaka. While the participating teams have descended in the capital city, hockey lovers from across Bangladesh as well as other parts of Asia will be present in large numbers to cheer for their favorite hockey stars.

The opening match of the tournament between India and Japan on Wednesday will unfold a slug-fest with teams battling it out to lift the prestigious title that will elevate the winning team to No.1 position in Asia.

While top ranked team in the competition India will play for pride and aim to retain their No.1 status, teams such as China, Korea, Japan, Bangladesh and Oman will battle it out to earn a berth for Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2018 in Bhubaneswar, India. Though India have qualified for the World Cup as host country, Malaysia and Pakistan won the ticket to the World Cup by finishing 5th and 7th respectively in the Hero Hockey World League Semi Final earlier this year in London.

In the official Press Conference on Monday, Dato’ Tayyab Ikram, the Chief Executive of the Asian Hockey Federation, Member of the IOC Commission, hoped the tournament opens the door of new opportunities for hockey. “We have been waiting for a long time to see Dhaka step into the modern hockey arena, this edition of Hero Asia Cup 2017 is a special one with the Asian Hockey Federation extending all the support behind it, I thank all the involved stakeholders and Bangladesh government for hosting the meet, I hope Hero Asia Cup 2017 will produce a brilliant level of hockey” said the Chief Executive of the AHF.

That this prestigious event returns to Dhaka after 32 years calls for jubilation with hosts Bangladesh Hockey Federation supported by event sponsors Hero MotoCorp, Indian motor cycle and scooter manufacturing giant, leaving no stone unturned in their preparations to make this year’s Hero Asia Cup a grand success. “It is a momentous occasion for us as the Hero Asia Cup 2017 is being hosted in our country after a span of 32 years. This event will not only bring hockey lovers from across Bangladesh to watch best teams compete for top honours but those traveling for the event to Dhaka will get to witness the warm hospitality of the people of Bangladesh and will also get a chance to soak up our culture,” expressed an elated Abdus Sadeque, THE General Secretary of Bangladesh Hockey Federation.

“I always believe that hockey has a special place in Bangladesh, with all the modern facilitates like the newly installed floodlights the Asia Cup 2017 is the platform from where we can look and jump forward” added Sadeque.

Four-time Asia Cup winners and the defending champions Korea will remain tough contenders for the title with their coach sounding off a caution to other teams as they arrive in Dhaka with an eye on the World Cup Qualification. India, on the other hand, will watch out for Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan and hosts Bangladesh who have the ability to spring a surprise on any given day. “I am aware we go into the tournament as the favourite to win but we cannot be complacent about any participating team as each one is capable of coming up with a tough fight. Winning the tournament is a priority but to do that, we would like to take each match at a time and make sure we perform well in all aspects of the game,” expressed Manpreet Singh, Captain, Indian Men’s Hockey Team.

For some of the participating teams, the Hero Men’s Asia Cup 2017 is not just about winning but also finding the right balance in the team and find out new ways to improvise in this new Olympic cycle. “For China, this is a transitional period with many of our senior players retiring and for the new and young players this is great exposure. While qualifying for the World Cup is the aim, we want to find out how well the team can stand up to the challenge and this will help us find out the areas that needs to be worked on to become better before the qualifying for 2020 Tokyo Olympics,” expressed Chinese Coach Liu Dongwei.

The event was held at Pan Pacific Hotel, Dhaka and was attended by the captains of participating teams apart.

New Delhi, 19th September 2017: Hockey India today announced the India A Women’s team to participate in the Australian Hockey League 2017 (Women) which starts on 28th September 2017.

The team will be Captained by forward Preeti Dubey while Udita will shoulder the responsibility of Vice Captain.

The team consists of goalkeepers Divya Thepe and Bichu Devi Kharibam, while Neelu Dadiya, Ashmita Barla, Priyanka, Suman Devi Thoudam and Salima Tete will be given the defensive duties. Vice-Captain Udita, Ishika Choudhary, Mahima Choudhary, Gagandeep Kaur, Nilanjali Rai and Mariana Kujur will be vying for the midfield spots in the team. Captain Preeti Dubey, Sangita Kumari, Jyoti, Navpreet Kaur and Mumtaz Khan will form the forward line.

Posted on www.SportsIndiaLive.com

It will be the first time that the India A Women’s team will take part in the Australian Hockey League (Women). There will be a total of 10 teams in the tournament divided into two Pools of five teams each which will include defending Champions Queensland, Victoria, Northern Territory, South Australia, Western Australia, New South Wales, Tasmania, Australian Capital Territory, New Zealand Development and India A Team. Australian Hockey League is the country’s premier domestic hockey tournament and consists of top class hockey players from Australia as they represent their home State or Territory.

“Taking part in the Australian Hockey League will certainly benefit our team as they will be playing against some top-class players. The exposure this side will get will do a world of good for them and help us further in identifying the next line of talent and create a larger elite pool,” stated Baljeet Saini, Coach of Junior Women’s Team, who will also be coaching the India A team during AHL.

India A Women’s Team:

Goalkeepers
1.  Divya Thepe
2.  Bichu Devi Kharibam

Defenders
3.  Neelu Dadiya
4. Ashmita Barla
5. Priyanka
6. Suman Devi Thoudam
7. Salima Tete

Midfielders
8. Udita (Vice Captain)
9. Ishika Choudhary
10. Mahima Choudhary
11. Gagandeep Kaur
12. Nilanjali Rai
13. Mariana Kujur

Forwards
14. Preeti Dubey (Captain)
15. Sangita Kumari
16. Jyoti
17. Navpreet Kaur
18. Mumtaz Khan

Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania will give the India A team company in Pool B. The India A team will play their opening match of the tournament against Victoria on Friday 29th September 2017.

Den Bosch (Netherlands), 14 September, 2017: The Indian Women’s Hockey team lost 1-3 to Ladies Den Bosch team in their third match of the Europe Tour here on Thursday. Goals from Ireen van den Assem (12’, 45’) and Imke Hoek (57’) were enough for the hosts to register the win against the visitors as Indian Defender Navdeep Kaur (47′) was the lone player on target for her team.

The match saw both the teams locking horns mostly in the midfield as the focus was on defence. In the first quarter, India started strongly as they retained possession for the first ten minutes but a counter attack from Ladies Den Bosch saw them earn a penalty stroke in the 12th minute which was well converted by Ireen van den Assem to give the hosts a 1-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter saw some more action as both sides created opportunities inside the opposition’s half. Indian forward Lalremsiami came close to scoring in the 22nd minute, only to be denied by Den Bosch’s goalkeeper. In the same minute, Indian goalkeeper Savita made a terrific save to keep the score down to 0-1. However, Ladies Den Bosch showed why nine players from their team play for the national team as they added to their goal tally when Ireen van den Assem beat Savita again in the 45th minute to take a 2-0 lead at the end of second quarter.

India brought on goalkeeper Rajani Etimarpu in the third quarter to replace Savita and the former was forced into action straight away as she made a diving save in the 33rd minute. The visitors stepped up their efforts to make a comeback into the match as Captain Rani’s shot was saved by the Dutch goalkeeper in the 36th minute while another good team effort went wide of the goal two minutes later.

India started the fourth quarter swiftly as a brilliant team move saw defender Navdeep Kaur score in the 47th minute to make it 2-1. The visitors earned a penalty corner in the 50th minute but it was met with a diving save from the Den Bosch custodian. India continued to put more pressure on the home side in the fourth quarter as chances went wide. In the 57th minute, the Dutch side pounced on the opportunity to score as they converted a penalty corner through Imke Hoek to make it 3-1 and secure the victory.

India will play the Belgium Junior Men’s team in their fourth and final match of the Europe Tour on September 18, 2017 at 2230 hrs IST.

Bengaluru, 13 September 2017: P.R. Sreejesh, who has been out of action for more than four months with a knee injury that saw him miss the World League Semi-Final in London, is on his way to making a complete recovery as he joins his teammates at SAI Centre, Bengaluru to continue his rehabilitation process.

The 29-year old stopper has been an important figure for the Indian Men’s Hockey team in the recent years as he had led the team to the Silver medal in last year’s Champions Trophy in London. But earlier this year in April 2017, when the team started their season at the 26th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia, the goalkeeper from Kerala suffered a ligament injury during the team’s match against defending Champions Australia while diving to reach a diagonal ball by an Australian striker inside the Indian circle. Leading India in the tournament, Sreejesh hobbled off the pitch inside the first quarter and has since been in recovery.

However, the experienced campaigner seemed to be in good spirits as he made his return to SAI Centre, Bengaluruon Wednesday. “It feels good to be back at the National Camp and starting some light training with my teammates. When you are with your team, you get the right motivation to work hard every day and get back to the field quickly as you want to contribute to the team,” Sreejesh said.

Sreejesh has been helping the younger players in the side by sharing his expertise with them in training, something that will benefit the likes of young goalkeeping duo Akash Chikte and Suraj Karkera in the upcoming Hero Asia Cup 2017. He said, “I think it’s important for me to share my experience with the younger players and give them feedback on their performance. That also helps me in improving my game as I can also learn from them too and when I come back on the field, I will know where I need to make improvements.”

“When you are in the team, you need to take the responsibility and not worry about how you are going to perform as an individual. When you are playing in the team, you need to give your 100% and focus on team-play so that the team can perform well as a unit,” the goalkeeper advised the younger players in the National Camp.

Sreejesh is confident that under the stewardship of new Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne, the team will only improve. He said, “With a new coach in place now, this team will take a new direction. While moving up the ranks and maintaining consistency remains constant, I am sure along with me, all the players in the camp are looking forward to continue the hard work and aim for better results with Chief Coach Marijne.”

Lucknow, 11 September 2017: After undergoing intense training in their previous Junior Men’s National Coaching Camp for six weeks in July and August, Hockey India today announced a 37-Member Core Group for the Junior Men’s National Coaching Camp which will take place at SAI, Lucknow from 11th September 2017 to 17th October 2017 to prepare for the 7th Sultan of Johor Cup (Junior Men).

During the course of the camp, selection trials will be conducted under the purview of Hockey India’s Director, High Performance, David John and Junior Men’s Team Head Coach Jude Felix, to pick the 18-member squad for the 7th Sultan of Johor Cup (Junior Men) that takes place from October 22th-29th, 2017 in Malaysia.

The group will work on important aspects of the game like their speed, agility, skill and understanding of the game along with team-play keeping in mind the prestigious 2020 Junior World Cup where the team will be defending their coveted crown.

“We have worked very hard in identifying the Junior Men’s Core Group in the past few months to carry on our development process which has given us a strong pool of players who can represent the country at the biggest stage. We believe that these players have the attributes required to go on and compete in India in future international tournaments. Our main focus right now is to train them and select the best to play at the 7th Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia next month under the guidance of Coach Jude Felix,” said David John, Director, High Performance, Hockey India.

Junior Men Core Probables:

Goalkeepers:
Pankaj Kumar Rajak (Steel Plant Sports Board), Tanuj Gulia (Hockey Haryana), Prashant Kumar Chauhan (Uttar Pradesh Hockey), AS. Sentamizh Arasu (Services Sports Control Board)

Defenders:
Suman Beck (Hockey Odisha), Harmanjit Singh (Hockey Punjab), Mandeep Mor (Hockey Haryana), Mohd. Faraz (Uttar Pradesh Hockey), Prince (Punjab & Sind Bank), Pratap Lakra (Hockey Gangpur-Odisha)

Midfielders:
Varinder Singh (Hockey Punjab), Sunny Malik (Hockey Haryana), Vishal Antil (Hockey Haryana), Yashdeep Siwach (Hockey Haryana), Vishal Singh (Uttar Pradesh Hockey), Vivek Sagar Prasad (Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy), Akshay Avasthi (Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy), Sukhjeet Singh (Hockey Chandigarh), Rabichandra Singh Moirangthem (Manipur Hockey), Dinachandra Singh Moirangthem (Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy)

Forwards:
Shilanand Lakra (Steel Plant Sports Board), Jai Prakash Patel (Steel Plant Sports Board), Dilpreet Singh (Hockey Punjab), Mohd. Saif Khan (Sports Authority of India), Raushan Kumar (Sports Authority of India), Abhishek (Hockey Haryana), Shivam Anand (Uttar Pradesh Hockey), Rahul Kumar Rajbhar (Uttar Pradesh Hockey), Mohd. Alishan (Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy), Sanjay (Hockey Chandigarh), Maninder Singh (Hockey Chandigarh), Rahul (Services Sports Control Board),  Anand Kumar Bara (Hockey Bihar), Rahul Shinde (Hockey Maharashtra), Venkatesh Kenche (Hockey Maharashtra), Kishore Arya (Delhi Hockey), Iktidar Ishrat (Uttar Pradesh Hockey)

New Delhi, 04 September 2017: After the three-week national camp at SAI, Bengaluru, the Indian Women’s hockey team will leave for the Europe Tour tonight from the Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru. The 18-member Indian team will be captained by striker Rani while in-form goalkeeper Savita will shoulder the duties of Vice-Captain. The team will play four matches during their tour, the first and third of which will be against Ladies Den Bosch on September 8 and 15 in Netherlands. They will also play two matches against the Belgium Junior Men’s team on September 11 and 18 in Antwerp, Belgium.

“This is the first time we are playing a Junior Men’s National team. While we play a lot of practice matches with the Junior Men’s side during our National Camps, the team is excited to be playing against the Belgium’s Junior National team who are the Junior World Cup finalists. It will be challenging no doubt, but I am confident we will learn a lot from this exposure,” stated captain Rani Rampal, ahead of the team’s departure.

The Europe Tour will be a good experience ahead of the all-important Asia Cup next month in Japan where the team will look to win the title. “The idea of playing the Men’s team was to toughen our team mentally and also the pace of the game will be much faster. The National Camp was good as we played two matches with the Men’s team here in Bengaluru every week and the girls have put in a lot of hard work in this camp. Asia Cup is important and in my opinion, at the moment the Indian team is the No.1 side in Asia and there’s no doubt that we will be gunning for the title. However, before that, we want to make sure our preparation is thorough and we have left no stones unturned. In this tour, we give some young girls the opportunity to show themselves in high level matches as it will create competition within the team. It will result in bringing up the level of the players, therefore I am looking forward to see them play,” stated Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne.

Saturday, September 2, 2017: A critical agenda to assess and take steps towards the way forward and long term success for Indian hockey concluded today at the three-day meeting of the Hockey India High Performance and Development Committee.

The power packed meeting was attended by over twenty-four members over the three days including Harbinder Singh, B.P Govinda, V. Baskaran, Thoiba Singh, Dr. A.B. Subbaiah, Dr. R.P Singh, Joydeep Kaur, Sardar Singh, P.R Sreejesh, Manpreet Singh, Roelant Oltmans, Jugraj Singh, Arjun Halappa, Hans Streeder, Scott Conway, David John, Elena Norman, Mariamma Koshy, Md. Mushtaque Ahmad Rajinder Singh, Tapan Das, Bhola Nath Singh, Firoz Ansari and Gyanendro Ningombam. Inputs were incorporated from all Committee members to emerge with focus areas and the way forward for the Indian Men’s Team. 

The outcome of the meeting was basis the objective to not only assess the recent performance of the Men’s national team at the World League Semi Final tournament as well as the European Tour but to also take concrete steps towards a winning performance in critical upcoming tournaments including the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and the World Cup coming up in 2018 and the 2020 Olympic Games.

Key decisions taken included Chief Coach Roelant Oltmans to step down. While Roelant Oltmans role as Chief Coach in improving the teams’ overall fitness and cohesiveness has been appreciated, the results are what matter and the performance of the team has not been consistent or up to the desired levels.

Additionally, the Director High Performance and Hockey India Selection Committee will be required to perform a detailed assessment of all the senior core probables, with those that have reached their peak performance to make way for younger talent. The ray of hope shown via noteworthy performance of a much younger team at the recently concluded Europe Tour proves that it is time to recalibrate.

High Performance Director, David John in the interim will take charge till a suitable replacement is found for a smooth transition of the Indian Men’s team.

Mr. Harbinder Singh, Chairman of the Hockey India Selection Committee said, “The Committee was convened since we are collectively not satisfied with the Indian Men’s Hockey team’s performance in 2016 and 2017 and feels that wins in Asia can’t be a benchmark for success any more. We need to show results beyond intent in key international tournaments where the sporadic success over the last two years is more incidental than deliberate. To make results a reality, we need to make hard decisions for the greater good of the future of Hockey in India. The current format of coaching was not showing results beyond a certain level. The Committee unanimously agreement that immediate action was required to be taken and while change may not always be comfortable it is essential if we want to position ourselves as a serious global contender for the upcoming critical tournaments in 2018 including the Asian Games & World Cup and 2020 Olympic Games.”

Bengaluru, 25 August 2017: With just about 45 days to go for the much-awaited Hero Asia Cup 2017 to begin in Dhaka on October 11, the Indian Men’s Hockey team is back to the grind at Sports Authority of India, Bengaluru for a 40-day national camp. A core group of 35 members which features as many as 13 players from last year’s Junior World Cup winning team will be put to test in the next coaching camp set to commence from August 26.

Junior World Cup Champions Vikas Dahiya (goalkeeper), defenders Dipsan Tirkey, Harmanpreet Singh, Gurinder Singh, Varun Kumar, midfielders Harjeet Singh, Manpreet Junior, Nilakanta Sharma, Sumit and forwards Mandeep Singh, Gurjant Singh, Simranjeet Singh and Armaan Qureshi along with goalkeeper Suraj Karkera who was part of the junior core group last year find themselves in the core group. The Indian team in their previous outing beat World No.4 Netherlands in back-to-back matches followed by a win against Austria. The five-match Europe Tour saw six Indian players make their debut with Varun Kumar, Gurjant Singh and Armaan Qureshi scoring their first international goal for the senior squad, making it a memorable tour.

While there is a strong presence of youth in the core group, the likes of experienced Sardar Singh, SV Sunil, Kothajit Singh, Chinglensana Singh, SK Uthappa, Ramandeep Singh, Akashdeep Singh among others will add to the fervor at the camp. “With new comers putting up a good performance in the Europe Tour, it’s an advantage for us to have a strong and bigger pool of players who will be available for selections for the Hero Asia Cup 2017,” stated the 25-year-old Manpreet Singh who led the team to three successive wins in Europe.

The midfielder further added that the team’s aim will be to finish at the top at the Hero Asia Cup 2017 and the 40-day camp will be nothing short of a grilling experience where players will have to compete against each other for a spot in the final 18 that gets to represent the country. “There is no doubt that we need to finish the Hero Asia Cup 2017 as winners. This is an important camp where we need to set our game right and ensure there are no weak points before leaving for the tournament. The players have come with a mindset to give more than 100 per cent in each session. Each one of us regardless of being a senior or junior will have to earn our place in the team and I am sure this competition within the core group will help improve our overall performance as a team,” added an optimistic Manpreet Singh.

Core Group:   

Goalkeepers

1.     Akash Chikte

2.     P.R. Sreejesh

3.     Vikas Dahiya

4.     Suraj Karkera

Defenders

5.     Dipsan Tirkey

6.     Pardeep Mor

7.     Birendra Lakra

8.     Kothajit Singh

9.     Surender Kumar

10.   Rupinderpal Singh

11.   Harmanpreet Singh

12.   Jasjit Singh Kular

13.   Gurinder Singh

14.   Amit Rohidas

15.   Varun Kumar

Midfielders

16.   Chinglensana Singh

17.   S.K. Uthappa

18.   Sumit

19.   Satbir Singh

20.   Sardar Singh

21.   Manpreet Singh

22.   Harjeet Singh

23.   Nilakanta Sharma

24.   Manpreet Junior

25.   Simranjeet Singh

Forwards

26.   Ramandeep Singh

27.   SV Sunil

28.   Talwinder Singh

29.   Mandeep Singh

30.   Affan Yousuf

31.   Nikkin Thimmaiah

32.   Gurjant Singh

33.   Akashdeep Singh

34.   Lalit Upadhyay

35.   Armaan Qureshi