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A 27-member core probable group for the senior national men's coaching camp ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics was announced by Hockey India on Thursday, June 20.
According to Hockey India, the camp which will be conducted at the SAI Centre in Bangalore is aimed to "polish" the preparations of the Indian men's team who begin their Olympic campaign on July 27.
Sanjay, Amir Ali, Vishnukant Singh, Mohammed Raheel Mouseen, and Boby Singh Dhami will be vying for a place in the Olympic squad alongside veterans like Manpreet Singh and PR Sreejesh.
The Indians who won a historic bronze medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics are pooled alongside defending champions Belgium, Rio gold medalists Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland at Paris 2024.
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The Indians ended their 2023-24 FIH Hockey Pro League campaign with 5 outright wins from 16 matches and are currently placed fourth in the nine-nation tournament.
Goalkeeper Suraj Karkera who has been in and out of the side a fair bit also features amongst the probables alongside PR Sreejesh and Krishan Pathak
Defenders Sanjay and Amir Ali have also been selected for the camp as have stalwarts like Harmanpreet Singh and Amit Rohidas.
Striker Boby Singh Dhami has found a place in the list of probables which includes veteran strikers Lalit Upadhyay and Mandeep Singh.
"We have a strong mix of players who are capable of winning anything" - Indian men's hockey coach Craig Fulton
Describing the team as a "strong mix" coach Craig Fulton reckoned that the players have learned a lot from their recent Hockey Pro League campaign and thus realise where they need to improve.
Fulton who took over as Chief Coach following Graham Reid's departure early last year stressed that it was important to make sure the team are in the best form ahead of the Games.
“We are looking to start an important block of training in this camp, and we need to make sure that we are in the best form ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympics. The players have learned a lot from their matches in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24," Fulton stated.
"It has helped us in realising where we need to improve. We have a lot of time to work on those areas. We have a strong mix of players who are capable of winning anything,” he added.
India will take on New Zealand in their opening group match of the Paris Olympics.
The team:
Goalkeepers: Krishan Bahadur Pathak, PR Sreejesh, Suraj Karkera
Defenders: Harmanpreet Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Sanjay and Amir Ali
Midfielders: Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Sumit, Shamsher Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Rajkumar Pal, Vishnukant Singh, Akashdeep Singh, and Mohammed Raheel Mouseen
Forwards: Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Abhishek, Dilpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Gurjant Singh, Boby Singh Dhami, and Araijeet Singh Hundal.
