In latest occasions, the Indian males’s hockey group has all the time needed to reside within the shadows of the wonderful previous. Eleven Olympic medals that embody eight gold, one silver and two bronze medals makes for an envious haul on the highest degree. All that, nevertheless, is historical past. The Indian males’s group final gained an Olympic medal in hockey means again within the 1980 Moscow Games. It’s been over 40 years and whereas there have been occasions when it appeared the jinx could be damaged, the barren run has continued. Led by midfielder Manpreet Singh, the Indian males’s hockey group will as soon as once more try to finish that drought on the Tokyo Games and produce house a medal that the nation so badly craves.
If superstitions are something to go by, then the medal hoodoo might lastly be at an finish. The final time the Olympics bandwagon was in Japan, in 1964, the Indian males’s hockey group got here again with a gold. While that makes for good studying for all of the superstitious of us on the market, let’s check out the present group and their achievements within the latest previous.
India have a strong captain and celebrity main them to into battle in Tokyo. Named males’s hockey participant of the yr in 2019, Manpreet Singh shall be representing the nation on the Olympics for the third time.
Under his captaincy, the group gained the Asia Cup in 2017, the Asian Champions Trophy in 2018 and the FIH Series Final in 2019.
India additionally reached the quarterfinals of the 2018 World Cup in Bhubaneswar and carried out exceedingly effectively within the FIH Hockey Pro League earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the schedule.
The enhancements within the total efficiency have been clear to see with the group at present ranked fourth on the planet.
Manpreet can have two deputies in defenders Birendra Lakra and Harmanpreet Singh. While different senior statesman like PR Sreejesh will present the expertise, India can have 10 gamers who shall be taking part on the Olympics for the primary time.
India are in Group A together with defending champions, Argentina, New Zealand, Spain, Australia and hosts Japan.
India will start their Olympic marketing campaign on July 24 towards New Zealand.
Squad:
Goalkeeper: PR Sreejesh
Defenders: Harmanpreet Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh, Surender Kumar, Amit Rohidas, Birendra Lakra
Midfielders: Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Nilakanta Sharma, Sumit
Forwards: Shamsher Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Gurjant Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Mandeep Singh.
