India males’s hockey workforce has accomplished properly in latest occasions with spectacular performances within the 2020 Tokyo Olympics final yr and Asia Cup 2022. The glory days have returned for Indian hockey and the subsequent problem for them is the 2022 Commonwealth Video games in Birmingham.
They gained a bronze medal in Olympics after registering a sensational 5-4 over Germany which helped them regain the fan following which dropped prior to now few years. Beneath Rupinder Pal Singh’s captaincy, India had a memorable marketing campaign in Asia Cup the place they beat Japan 1-0 within the bronze medal match.
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Nonetheless, the followers now have excessive hopes for the Indian workforce and wish them to up their recreation and get the gold in Birmingham.
India are positioned in Pool B, comprising hosts England, Wales, Canada, and Ghana. They may begin their marketing campaign on July 31 towards Ghana. England are going to be their hardest competitor within the group. The highest two groups will enter the semifinals and India have a robust likelihood to finish up there however the main focus is to high the group.
In Pool A Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Scotland will combat it out to get a spot within the semifinals.
India don’t have one of the best of information within the Commonwealth Video games as they’ve managed to win simply two medals in 5 appearances. Whereas they didn’t qualify for the occasion in 2002.
They completed fourth within the 2018 occasion after shedding the bronze medal match to England. Manpreet Singh and Co. will intention to take revenge on the hosts this time within the Group Stage conflict.
In the meantime, India additionally must regulate Australia, who’ve all the time been a significant menace to them within the CWG. They misplaced to the #1 ranked Australian workforce twice in CWG finals (2010 and 2014).
The highlight might be on the senior stars to get the job accomplished in Birmingham. PR Sreejesh has to as soon as once more play a giant function because the goalkeeper, India rely closely on him in the course of the set-pieces. Though India have a stable defensive unit, the onus might be on vice-captain Harmanpreet Singh to encourage the workforce from the again. Whereas Skipper Manpreet has the job to hyperlink up with the star forwards to breach the opposition’s defence.
India Males’s hockey squad:
Goalkeepers: PR Sreejesh, Krishan Bahadur Pathak
Defenders: Varun Kumar, Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh (vice captain), Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh
Midfielders: Manpreet Singh (captain), Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Shamsher Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Nilakanta Sharma
Forwards: Mandeep Singh, Gurjant Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Abhishek.
India Males’s Hockey Schedule:
July 31: India vs Ghana
August 1: India vs England
August 3: India vs Canada
August 4: India vs Wales
In contrast to, the boys’s workforce, the ladies might be underneath stress for the 2022 Commonwealth Video games after an underwhelming present in FIH Hockey Ladies’s World Cup Spain & Netherlands 2022.
Nonetheless, the ladies’s workforce had a memorable present in Tokyo Olympics the place they completed fourth. Whereas they ended up on the third spot within the maiden Professional League season this yr.
The Indian girls’s workforce has an excellent monitor report within the Commonwealth Video games with a gold medal manner again in 2002, whereas they settled for silver within the following version in 2006. Within the 2018 Gold Coast Video games, India girls’s completed fourth and didn’t get the medal after shedding the bronze-medal conflict.
The India workforce, captained by Savita, begins its marketing campaign on July 29 towards Ghana, earlier than taking part in Wales on July 30, England on August 2 and Canada on August 3 within the preliminary spherical.
India Ladies’s Hockey Squad:
Goalkeepers: Savita (captain), Rajani Etimarpu
Defenders: Deep Grace Ekka (vice-captain), Gurjit Kaur, Nikki Pradhan, Udita
Midfielders: Nisha, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Monika, Neha, Jyoti, Navjot Kaur, Salima Tete
Forwards: Vandana Katariya, Lalremsiami, Navneet Kaur, Sharmila Devi, Sangita Kumar
India Ladies’s Hockey Schedule:
July 29: India vs Ghana
July 30: India vs Wales
August 2: India vs England
August 3: India vs Canada
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