New Delhi: Orissa defender Dipsan Tirkey retained his place, while Amit Rohidas was axed as newly-appointed chief coach Sjoerd Marijne Saturday named the 18-member India squad for the Hero Asia Cup, starting October 11 in Dhaka.
Veterans Sardar Singh and SV Sunil returned to the team. Midfielder Manpreet Singh was named as the captain of the side while experienced forward SV Sunil will be his deputy, Hockey India (HI) said in a statement. However goalkeepers Akash Chikte and Suraj Karkera have been able to retain their spots in the squad whereas defenders Harmanpreet Singh and Surender Kumar made a return after being rested for the European Tour. Veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh along with defender Rupinder Pal Singh has been omitted as they both are yet to fully recover from injury.
Commenting on the team combination, Marijne said, “I am looking forward to working with the team which has good blend of experience and youth. The upcoming Asia Cup will be our first tournament together, and I am very excited to see how the team express their leadership qualities on the field.”
India feature in Pool A alongside Japan, hosts Bangladesh and Pakistan. The blue sticks will start their tournament against Japan, October 11 before facing Bangladesh, October 13. The team will play their third and final league match against Pakistan, October 15.
The squad: Akash Anil Chikte, Suraj Karkera, Dipsan Tirkey, Kothajit Singh, Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh, Varun Kumar, SK Uthappa, Sardar Singh, Manpreet Singh (Captain), Chinglensana Singh , Sumit, SV Sunil (Vice-Captain), Akashdeep Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Gurjant Singh, Satbir Singh.
indo-asian news service
