Krishan Bahadur Pathak.
Credit: X/@KrishanBPathak
Bengaluru: Krishan Bahadur Pathak was expectedly named retired goalkeeper PR Sreejesh's successor while ace drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh will continue to lead the Indian hockey team in the Asian Champions Trophy starting next month.
As many as 10 players who won a bronze medal at the recently concluded Paris Olympics have been chosen for the tournament in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, China from September 8-17.
India are the defending champions and they'll be up against Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Japan and hosts China.
Bengaluru's Mohd Raheel Mouseen, who produced a string of impressive performances in the build-up to the Paris Games but missed the bus for the quadrennial bash as coach Craig Fulton went with experience, earned a call-up. The striker-turned-midfielder will be gunning for a strong show as Fulton seeks to build a new squad for the upcoming Olympic cycle.
Three more players who will be keenly watched are drag-flicker Jarmanpreet Singh, striker Araijeet Singh Hundal and reserve keeper Suraj Karkera. While Jarmanpreet and Araijeet, who also can drag-flick, have shone in the limited opportunities they got, ACT is the first tournament in the new cycle and a strong show will help their cause in the long term.
"This is an important campaign for us to ensure we build on our ranking points. The new Olympic cycle for us begins with the Asian Champions Trophy and we are ready for the challenge," said Fulton.
"While we have rested a few players from the squad that played in Paris, we have brought in a few youngsters who have done well in training and have earned the opportunity to play in Asian Champions Trophy. We will have Gurjot making his international debut, and I believe this is a great opportunity for youngsters who have received a call-up to shine. As a team, we want to continue to dominate in the Asian continent and we will go to China to retain the title," asserted the coach.
Squad: Goalkeepers: Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Suraj Karkera.
Defenders: Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Harmanpreet Singh (capt), Jugraj Singh, Sanjay, Sumit.
Midfielders: Raj Kumar Pal, Nilakanta Sharma, Vivek Sagar Prasad (vc), Manpreet Singh, Mohd Raheel Mouseen.
Forwards: Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Araijeet Singh Hundal, Uttam Singh, Gurjot Singh.