Hockey India names 27 core prospects for pre-Olympic camp; Striker Dilpreet misses

The Indian team returns to the national camp after a successful outing in the FIH Hockey Pro League, where it currently occupies the fourth spot after collecting 24 points from 16 matches.

The core group consists of goalkeepers Krishan Bahadur Pathak, PR Sreejesh, Suraj Karkera and defenders Harmanpreet Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Sanjay and Amir Ali.

The midfielders called up include Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Sumit, Shamsher Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Rajkumar Pal, Vishnukant Singh, Akashdeep Singh and Mohammed Raheel Mouseen.

Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Abhishek, Dilpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Gurjant Singh, Boby Singh Dhami and Araijeet Singh Hundal are the attackers who have been included.

Striker Dilpreet Singh is a notable absentee from the core list.

Craig Fulton, head coach of the Indian men’s hockey team, finds the Pro League appearance against top teams of the world a great experience for his side.

“We want to start an important training block in this camp and we need to make sure we are in the best shape for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The players have learned a lot from their matches in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24,” said he.

“It has helped us realize 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 everything,” the South African added.