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Hockey India announced a 16-member squad for the Paris Olympics on Wednesday, June 26. The veteran defender and drag-flick specialist, Harmanpreet Singh will lead the Indian side in the global event.
Midfielder Hardik Singh will serve as the vice-captain of the squad. PR Sreejesh and midfielder Manpreet Singh will mark their fourth appearances in the Games and will provide a rich experience.
In the Tokyo Olympics, the Indian contingent secured a bronze medal and would look to end the gold medal drought in the Paris Olympics.
Indian Men’s Hockey Team for Paris 2024 Olympics:
Goalkeeper: PR Sreejesh
Defenders: Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Harmanpreet Singh, Sumit, and Sanjay.
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Midfielders: Rajkumar Pal, Shamsher Singh, Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, and Vivek Sagar Prasad.
Forwards: Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Mandeep Singh, and Gurjant Singh.
A total of five players will make their debut in the Olympics. Namely, they are Sanjay and Jarmanpreet Singh in defense, Rajkumar Pal in the midfield, Abhishek, and Sukhjeet Singh as the forwards. Let's know a little bit about the backgrounds of all five players.
#1 Sanjay
Sanjay has featured in 27 games for the Indian team and scored two goals. He was a part of the Indian squad, which finished fourth in the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's Junior World Cup at Bhubaneswar in 2021.
Thereafter, he was part of the gold medal-winning squad in the Asian Games 2022. Then, the youngster was a part of the Asian Champions Trophy 2023, which emerged as the champion.
He also received the Hockey India Jugraj Singh Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Men) Under - 21 in 2021.
#2 Jarmanpreet Singh
Jarmanpreet Singh made his Indian team debut in 2018 and has played 98 games while scoring six goals.
He was a part of the Commonwealth Games 2022 and Asian Games 2022 squad, where the team won the silver medal and gold medal, respectively. He then participated in the World Cup and Asian Champions Trophy in 2023.
#3 Rajkumar Pal
Making his international debut in 2021, Rajkumar Pal has featured in 48 games for India and scored five goals. He was a part of the Indian squads in the Asian Champions Trophy 2021, Asia Cup 2022, and World Cup 2023.
As per reports, Pal's selection comes due to his creativity in the field and dribbling skills.
#4 Abhishek
The 24-year-old made his India debut in 2022, and since then has been a crucial cog for the team. In 68 appearances, Abhishek has scored 30 goals.
He was a part of the Asian Games 2022 and Commonwealth Games 2022 squads and marked his presence in the World Cup squad last year as well. For his impressive performances, the talented forward received the Hockey India Dhanraj Pillay Award for Forward of the Year 2023.
#5 Sukhjeet Singh
Another skilful forward, Sukhjeet Singh made his India debut in 2022 and has 12 goals to his name in 62 appearances.
Sukhjeet was a part of the gold-medal winning squads in Asian Games 2022 and Asian Champions Trophy 2023. He also participated in the Hockey World Cup last year.
