Hockey India calls 34 players for National Camp ahead of Men’s World Cup

ByPress Release, SportsCafe Editor

10/31/2018

Hockey India has called 34 players to form a core group for the National Camp ahead of the Men’s World Cup to be held in Bhubaneswar from November 28. The players will report to chief coach Harendra Singh for the 23-day long camp at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar which will begin on November 1.

The National Camp will give Chief Coach Harendra Singh the chance to work with the Core Group and pick his final 18-member Indian Men's Hockey Team for the Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018. The World No. 5 team will look to prepare for the mega-event by training in the host city to get acclimatized to the conditions before they start their campaign against South Africa on 28th November 2018. After having been declared as the Joint Winners at the recently concluded 5th Men's Hero Asian Champions Trophy Muscat 2018, the team will undergo intense training sessions under Chief Coach Harendra Singh, who is confident that the National Camp will give all the 34-members the chance to prove their mettle and book a place in the final squad.

"Our campaign at the 5th Men's Hero Asian Champions Trophy Muscat 2018 served as good preparation for the team before the Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018, but now is the most critical time for us as we look to reinvigorate our spirits and work on the areas which need improvement. The National Camp will give all the 34 Core Group players the chance to work hard and show what edge they can provide to the team," said Singh.

The 34-member Core Group includes three Goalkeepers PR Sreejesh, Suraj Karkera and Krishan Pathak while defenders Harmanpreet Singh, Gurinder Singh, Varun Kumar, Kothajit Singh Khadangbam, Surender Kumar, Amit Rohidas, Jarmanpreet Singh, Pardeep Singh, Suman Beck and Captain of the Junior Men's team for the Sultan of Johor Cup 2018, Mandeep Mor, have been called up for the National Camp.

Among midfielders, Manpreet Singh, Chinglensana Singh Kangujam, Sumit, Simranjeet Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Hardik Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Yashdeep Siwach and Vishal Antil have all been selected. Whereas, Akashdeep Singh, Gurjant Singh, Mandeep Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Sumit Kumar, Gursahibjit Singh and Shilanand Lakra have been selected as the forwards.

Meanwhile, ace striker Ramandeep Singh who underwent a knee surgery after sustaining an injury during the FIH Champions Trophy earlier this year, along with seasoned defenders Rupinder Pal Singh and Birendra Lakra, will be re-joining the camp. Experienced Forward SV Sunil completes the 34-man Core Group which shall be considered for the Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018.

"We had trained in Bhubaneswar before the 5th Men's Hero Asian Champions Trophy to get used to the conditions there, and I believe that playing on the newly-laid turf at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium again before the World Cup will give us a good chance to prepare and analyse the most effective tactics and style of play, which can be used during the tournament. It is also crucial that we learn from our mistakes in all the previous tournaments this year, and work on minimizing errors throughout the three areas of attack, midfield and defence. It is now time for all the Core Group players to step up and show what they can bring to the table," expressed Harendra Singh.

National Campers List:

Goalkeepers

P R Sreejesh, Suraj Karkera, Krishan Bahadur Pathak

Defenders

Harmanpreet Singh, Gurinder Singh, Varun Kumar, Kothajit Singh Khadangbam, Surender Kumar, Amit Rohidas, Jarmanpreet Singh, Pardeep Singh, Suman Beck, Mandeep Mor, Birendra Lakra, Rupinder Pal Singh

Midfielders

Manpreet Singh, Chinglensana Singh Kangujam, Sumit, Simranjeet Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Hardik Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Yashdeep Siwach, Vishal Antil