India's 18-member hockey squad for the upcoming Asian Champions Trophy has been announced with Krishan Bahadur Pathak named the main goalkeeper after PR Sreejesh's retirement. Sreejesh brought curtains down on his career with the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics earlier this month.
Pathak was the standby goalkeeper for India at the Games but will be the main man in charge to save goals while Suraj Karkera will be the reserve goalkeeper. Meanwhile, experienced midfielder Vivek Sagar Prasad has been appointed the vice-captain with Hardik Singh rested along with Mandeep Singh, Lalit Upadhyay, Shamsher Singh and Gurjant Singh. However, skipper Harmanpreet Singh has remained the captain of the team and not been rested.
"This is an important campaign for us to ensure we build on our ranking points. The team has just returned to the camp after all the celebrations following our performance in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The past few weeks have truly been incredible with all the love and adulation for the team and we hope this support will continue all through our future campaigns.
"The new Olympic cycle for us begins with the Asian Champions Trophy and we are ready for the challenge. While we have rested a few players from the squad that played in Paris, we have brought in a few youngsters who have done well in training and have earned the opportunity to play in the Asian Champions Trophy. We will have Gurjot making his international debut, and I believe this is a great opportunity for youngsters who have received a call-up to shine," head coach Craig Fulton said in a Hockey India statement.
Team India won the previous edition of the Champions Trophy and will be looking to defend the title this time around. The tournament will be played from September 8 to 17 at Hulunbuir as India will face Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Japan and hosts China.
India squad for Asian Champions Trophy
Goalkeepers: Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Suraj Karkera
Defenders: Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Harmanpreet Singh (c), Jugraj Singh, Sanjay, Sumit
Midfielders: Raj Kumar Pal, Nilakanta Sharma, Vivek Sagar Prasad (VC), Manpreet Singh, Mohammed, Raheel Mouseen
Forwards: Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Araijeet Singh Hundal, Uttam Singh, Gurjot Singh.
India's schedule in the Asian Champions Trophy
India vs China - September 8
India vs Japan - September 9
India vs Malaysia - September 11
India vs South Korea - September 12
India vs Pakistan - September 14
Semifinals - September 16
Final - September 17
