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New Delhi, 31 July 2018: Ahead of the all-important 18th Asian Games Jakarta-Palembang 2018, 25-member Core Group of Indian Men's Hockey Team which includes 18-member squad for the quadrennial event as well as standby players will report for the preparatory National Camp on August 1 at the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Bengaluru Campus.
After a hectic 21 days in camp where the National Campers played back-to-back matches with Bangladesh, South Korea, and New Zealand as part of their preparations for the upcoming tournament, the Core Group of players were given a much-needed break to recover and return fresh for the camp which concludes on 11 August 2018.
"We will be starting high-intensity training after a gap of almost one week. The rest was much-needed after a hectic and busy schedule where the players played high-tempo matches against Bangladesh, South Korea, and New Zealand," opined Chief Coach Harendra Singh.
For the 18th Asian Games, the Indian Men's Team are grouped in Pool A along with South Korea, Japan, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong China and Indonesia.
"This break was essential because now the players will report with a fresh mind and fresh legs for the final preparatory camp before heading for the most important Asian Games where we want to seal the Olympic Qualification by winning Gold. In the camp, we will continue working on all aspects of the game with specific focus on converting opportunities in the striking circle. We will work on the short-comings noticed during the New Zealand matches," he added.
The Chief Coach is confident of his team's prospects at the quadrennial event which will be a stepping stone towards the season's grand finale at the Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018 starting in November. "We are confident the team will take to the training sessions with high energy and they are aware that a successful Asian Games will be the right stepping stone for the season's most-awaited Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018," Harendra Singh said.
Following is the 25-member Core Group:
Goalkeepers
1. PR Sreejesh
2. Krishan B Pathak
3. Suraj Karkera
Defenders
4. Harmanpreet Singh
5. Varun Kumar
6. Birendra Lakra
7. Surender Kumar
8. Rupinder Pal Singh
9. Amit Rohidas
10. Kothajit Singh Khadangbam
11. Jarmanpreet Singh
Midfielders
12. Manpreet Singh
13. Chinglensana Singh Kangujam
14. Simranjeet Singh
15. Sardar Singh
16. Vivek Sagar Prasad
17. Nilakanta Sharma
18. Sumit
Forwards
19. S V Sunil
20. Mandeep Singh
21. Akashdeep Singh
22. Lalit Kumar Upadhyay
23. Dilpreet Singh
24. Sumit Kumar
25. Shilanand Lakra
