Now that the Indian hockey team has clinched an unprecedented silver medal at the FIH Champions Trophy, less than two months ahead of Rio Olympics 2016, it is safe to say that the figurative rise from the ashes has finally happened. As the focus shifts to the upcoming Summer Games, it’s high time the fans got themselves more familiarised with the Indian hockey heroes of the moment.
Here’s a look at our stars who shone brightly for India at the just concluded 2016 FIH Hockey Champions Trophy in London:
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#1 Sreejesh Parattu Raveendran – Goalkeeper
“Sreejesh saves!”, “Sreejesh saves again.”, “And it’s Sreejesh to the rescue!” – The acting captain in Sardara Singh’s absence kept the commentators busy with his matchwinning goalkeeping almost every time he took the field. Aptly called ‘The Wall’, P R Sreejesh singlehandedly kept India in contention till the last moment of the championship as he prevented countless blinders and well-placed penalty corners from finding the back of the net.
#2 Vikas Dahiya – Goalkeeper
India’s struggle to find a suitable backup goalie for Sreejesh was temporarily alleviated when they named Vikas Dahiya to replace Akash Chikte and Harjot Singh who hadn’t looked much convincing during the course of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2016. Vikas starred in India’s win against South Korea that lifted them to 2nd place in the points’ table.
#3 Raghunath Vokkaliga Ramachandra – Fullback
India’s main man when it comes to penalty corners, Vokkaliga Raghunath showed outstanding tenacity in his role as a fullback for which he had earlier come under severe criticism. Alongside scoring two crucial penalty corner goals, Raghunath was rock-solid in defence throughout the tournament.
#4 Khadangbam Kothajit Singh – Halfback
The narrow results would not have gone India’s way without the contribution of Kothajit. The Manipur-man silently made crunch tackles around the Indian circle and fed the ball forward to create more and more chances.
#5 Surender Kumar – Halfback
Another key factor in India’s favourable results – Haryana defender Surender Kumar’s consistency at the back line.
#6 Pardeep Mor – Defender
A relatively young inclusion to the Indian side, Pardeep Mor has 8 caps under his belt. Although he conceded a few undesirable penalty corners, what matters is the success in preventing the ball from going into the Indian goal – something Pardeep achieved on multiple occasions.
#7 Manpreet Singh – Halfback
Manpreet Singh earned his 150th Indian cap at the Champions Trophy 2016. He was pivotal in creating opportunities every time India had a penalty corner or long corner.
#8 Harmanpreet Singh – Fullback
One of the newest additions to the Indian squad, Harmanpreet continued to wow spectators with his on-field maturity and calming presence even at such a young age. Apart from the two goals he scored in the competition, he was also the only Indian to fire during India’s tiebreak against the Aussies in the finale – all of which contributed to him being the recipient of the Best Junior Player award.
#9 Danish Mujtaba – Forward
Another player to hit the 150 appearances mark for India in this tournament was the versatile midfielder Danish Mujtaba.
#10 Uthappa Sannuvanda Kushalappa – Midfielder
Initially a forward, S K Uthappa now dons a midfielder’s hat to fulfil the responsibilities entrusted to him by coach Roelant Oltmans.
#11 Chinglensana Singh Kangujam – Midfielder
Manipuri midfielder Chinglensana Singh has delivered a power-packed performance in London. His work rate in the absence of skipper Sardara Singh has played an indispensable role in swinging the tide India’s way.
#12 Devinder Sunil Walmiki – Midfielder
Devindar Walmiki’s scorcher of a goal against Belgium reduced the deficit to one but failed to salvage a point from the encounter which ended 1-2 for India.
#13 Akashdeep Singh – Forward
Akashdeep played his part in a brilliant one-two with SV Sunil who scored the first goal against Korea.
#14 Harjeet Singh – Midfielder
20-year-old Harjeet Singh is still finding his feet in the senior team but does not lack in confidence at all when he’s out there, stick in hand.
#15 Nikkin Thimmaiah – Forward
The Karnataka forward, Nikkin Thimmaiah struck only once in the tournament – but that was the one goal that fetched India a vital three points in the dying minutes of the match against South Korea which placed them 2nd only behind Australia in the group standings and eventually proved to be instrumental in securing a silver medal finish.
#16 Talwinder Singh – Forward
Talwinder faces stiff competition to find a regular spot in the attacking department – but his inch-perfect passing and well-timed deliveries from the wings throughout the championship for India has made him a strong contender today.
#17 Sunil Sowmarpet Vitalacharya – Forward
One of the fastest strikers in world hockey today, S V Sunil has spearheaded the Indian attack alongside performing his role of vice-captain in perfect fashion. His sudden dashes into the area and quick thinking set up a number of clear chances and penalty corners in almost each game. Needless to say, a large portion of India’s Olympic hopes rests on the shoulders of SV Sunil this year.
#18 Mandeep Singh – Forward
India’s top scorer with three field goals, Mandeep Singh has wonderfully capitalized on the opportunity to shine at the Champions Trophy. The 21-year-old would still have to work on his maturity inside the circle if he is to steer clear of his fellow strikers to cement his place in the Indian squad for Rio 2016.
