India name squad for Argentina tour; Manpreet Singh returns as captain

Indian men’s hockey skipper Manpreet Singh has returned to the squad for the FIH Pro League encounter against Argentina which will take place next month. Similarly, drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh as well as Varun Kumar who did not feature in the previous tour due to their rehabilitation procedures from injuries have also returned to the squad. Including them, a total of 22 members were announced.

The Indian team would take on the Olympic champions Argentina in the capital city of Buenos Aires on the 11th and 12th of April. Before the same, there would be practice matches on the 6th and 7th of April as well on the 13th and 14th as a part of the preparation for the Tokyo Olympic games which are set to begin in July, provided the health concerns and cloud surrounding the games are allayed.

India announce squad for Argentina tour

The 22-member squad also features the likes of veterans Akashdeep Singh, Ramandeep Singh and Simranjeet Singh. Further, youngsters Jaskaran Singh and Shilanand Lakra are also set to feature.

“We are taking a 22-man squad attempting to provide a good balance between giving experience to those players who need it and opportunities for players to perform on the international stage in the lead-up to the Tokyo Olympics,” chief coach Graham Reid said in a statement.

“Argentina play a different style of game to the teams we played in Europe, and we will be using this tour as a great opportunity to continue our growth and development before Tokyo,” he added.

Strict COVID-19 protocols will be followed for the tour.

The full squad: P. R. Sreejesh, Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Amit Rohidas, Gurinder Singh, Harmanpreet Singh (vice-captain), Surender Kumar, Rupinderpal Singh, Varun Kumar, Birendra Lakra, Jaskaran Singh, Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh (captain), Vivek Sagar Prasad, Raj Kumar Pal, Sumit, Nilakanta Sharma, Shamsher Singh, Gurjant Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Shilanand Lakra.

Also Read: “We know how strong we are” – Graham Reid expresses satisfaction with India’s unbeaten European tour