K. ARUMUGAM

Two forwards Araijeet Singh Hundal and Bobby Singh Dhami, who were part of the Indian team at the recent Kuala Lumpur Junior World Cup, have been promoted to senior rank, as the team for the forthcoming South Africa is announced.

The 26-member team will have the both colts besides all the known and entrenched stars.

Lanky Araijeet Hundal, playing his second Junior World Cup in the Malaysian capital, struck his second Jr World Cup hattrick too, this time against Canada in the Indian opener.

The 26-member Indian men’s team for the 4-Nation Cup in Cape Town, South Africa starting 22nd January 2024 will be led by Harmanpreet Singh and FIH Player of the Year winner Hardik Singh will shoulder the responsibilities of Vice Captain.. The tournament will feature France, Netherlands, India and hosts South Africa.

Goalkeepers PR Sreejesh, Krishan Pathak and Pawan have been included in the squad along with defenders Jarmanpreet Singh, Jugraj Singh, Amit Rohidas, Harmanpreet Singh, Varun Kumar, Sumit, Sanjay and Rabichandra Singh Moirangthem.

Midfielders selected in the team are Vivek Sagar Prasad, Nilakanta Sharma, Rajkumar Pal, Shamsher Singh, Vishnukant Singh, Hardik Singh and Manpreet Singh. The forwardline features Mandeep Singh, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Gurjant Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Akashdeep Singh, Araijeet Singh Hundal, Boby Singh Dhami.

Speaking about the South Africa Tour, Chief Coach Craig Fulton said, “We are quite excited to get on with the season in the Olympic year with the South Africa Tour where we will play quality teams. We have chosen a big squad in order to give players exposure and it will also give me an opportunity to see some of the players in competition mode ahead of the FIH Hockey Pro League. We have a short camp in SAI, Bengaluru before we leave for the Tour. We have also included two young players in the Senior side, and it will be interesting to watch them adapt to the level we play.”

Indian Team for South Africa:

GOALKEPERS

1. Sreejesh Parattu Raveendran

2. Krishan Bahadur Pathak

3. Pawan

DEFENDERS

4. Jarmanpreet Singh

5. Jugraj Singh

6. Amit Rohidas

7. Harmanpreet Singh (C)

8. Varun Kumar

9. Sumit

10. Sanjay

11. Rabichandra Singh Moirangthem

MIDFIELDERS

12. Vivek Sagar Prasad

13. Nilakanta Sharma

14. Rajkumar Pal

15. Shamsher Singh

16. Vishnukant Singh

17. Hardik Singh (VC)

18. Manpreet Singh

FORWARDS

19. Mandeep Singh

20. Abhishek

21. Sukhjeet Singh

22. Gurjant Singh

23. Lalit Kumar Upadhyay

24. Akashdeep Singh

25. Araijeet Singh Hundal

26. Boby Singh Dhami