Men’s Hockey World Cup 2022: Focus on Harmanpreet Singh as India chase second title at home
The stage is set in Odisha with Bhubaneshwar and Rourkela set to host the 2018 edition of the Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 from 13th January.
The expectations will be high for the Indian hockey team who will be eyeing their second World Cup title on home soil, having won it for the first time in 1975. This will be the first time in 48 years that India will be coming into the tournament on the back of a podium finish in the Olympics.
India won the Bronze medal in Tokyo and followed it up with a silver medal finish in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last year. The hosts are grouped in a tricky Pool D alongside Spain, Wales and England. They will start their campaign against Spain on the 13th of January.
The squad announced by Hockey India for the tournament features a perfect blend of youth and experience with Harmanpreet Singh taking over from Manpreet Singh as the captain of the team. Amit Rohidas will be his deputy and also share the dragflicking responsibilities with Harmanpreet during the tournament.
The full squad is as follows:
Goalkeepers
Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Sreejesh Parattu Raveendran
Defenders
Jarmanpreet Singh, Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh (Captain), Varun Kumar, Amit Rohidas (Vice Captain), Nilam Sanjeep Xess
Midfielders
Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Shamsher Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Akashdeep Singh
Forwards
Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh
Alternate Players
Rajkumar Pal, Jugraj Singh.
New role, same focus for Harmanpreet
The focus for Harmanpreet Singh for the tournament will be the same. Be the rock in the backline for India and convert the Penalty Corners that will come his way during the course of the World Cup.
The new India captain scored six goals in the Tokyo Olympics and emerged as the highest scorer for his team. He would carry this form into the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where he was the joint second highest scorer with nine goals to his name.
In the 2022-23 season of the FIH Pro League, the 27-year-old was the joint highest scorer with six goals. The aim for the new captain will not only be to win the gold medal for his nation, but also to keep the bar high when it comes to scoring goals.
In the wall, India trusts
There is a reason why PR Sreejesh is called the Wall Of Indian Hockey. The 34-year-old has singlehandedly saved India in many matches and was in inspirational form in Tokyo where he protected the goal with vigour and passion.
Among the fans, there is always a saying that when it comes to shootouts, the game is half won when Sreejesh enters the ground to protect his goal. In what could be his final World Cup in Indian colours, the man from Kerala will look to sign off on a high and hand his team the coveted World Title.
Manpreet Singh’s importance
While he may not have the armband anymore, Manpreet will continue to be a leader on the ground. Ever since the retirement of Sardar Singh from the national team, the Punjab midfielder has been the rock at the centre of the park and has dictated the game.
The 30-year-old will now have the job mentoring young guns like Vivek Sagar Prasad, Hardik, Shamsher Singh and Nilakanta Sharma during a big tournament and making them ready for the upcoming major events.