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| Manpreet to captain Indian side |
The unexpected changes in the forward line have changed the balance of the squad and has put some pressure on midfield. India as expected have gone for a good but inexperienced midfield. Manpreet Singh, captain of the side will be expected to do a double shift in midfield and forward line and players like Hardik, Sumit, Nilakantha and Vivek Sagar would be expected to reduce the burden on Manpreet.
Defense looks like a strong point for Indian team with Harmanpreet, Rupinder Surender, Birendra Lakra and Amit Rohidas. Harmanpreet, Rupinder and Amit will handle the penalty corner duties for the team. Birendra’s inclusion in the squad could be considered a surprise as he has not cemented his place in the squad since his return from knee injury that saw him missing 2016 Rio Olympics.
Only Indian player over the age of 30 is Sreejesh, who may will be playing his last major tournament in Indian colors and would want to go out on a high. Manpreet Singh will captain the side with Birendra Lakra and Harmanpreet Singh named as vice-captain.
Road to Tokyo
Entering the Asian Games as favorites, Indian team started very strongly on their Road to Tokyo but shoot out loss against Malaysia in the semi-finals of Asian Games forced the team to play in FIH Qualification Event to qualify for the Olympics. India’s high FIH ranking ensured a weaker opposition and India faced minnows Russia in two-legged qualification match. Despite conceding two goals in the first game, India beat Russia quite comfortably in both the legs scoring 11 goals in the process.
Key Players
As mentioned above, Manpreet will have an added responsibility of supporting the forward line so his performance will be key for India in the tournament. Harmanpreet, who has improved a lot in defense and penalty corners in last two years will be another key player and will be expected to pounce on every goal scoring opportunity through penalty corners. Mandeep Singh, now the senior most striker in the squad will also have to create and score goals for the team.
Olympics Record
Indian team has won most medals in Olympics hockey event with eight golds, two silvers and one bronze but last medal for Indian team came back in 1980 Moscow Games when the tournament was boycotted by majority of teams. In Rio 2016, India finished at 8th place while in London 2012 Olympics, India finished in the last position. Last time India reached the semi-finals was in 1980 Moscow Games.
Fixtures
Indian team is placed in Group A and will face their first game against New Zealand on 25th July. The complete group stage fixtures for India are:
| Opponent | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 24-Jul-21 | 6:30 am |
| Australia | 25-Jul-21 | 3:00 pm |
| Spain | 27-Jul-21 | 6:30 am |
| Argentina | 29-Jul-21 | 6:00 am |
| Japan | 30-Jul-21 | 3:30 pm |
Team
Goalkeepers
P. R. SREEJESH
Defenders
HARMANPREET SINGH (VC), RUPINDER PAL SINGH, SURENDER KUMAR, AMIT ROHIDAS, BIRENDRA LAKRA (VC)
Midfielders
HARDIK SINGH, MANPREET SINGH (C), VIVEK SAGAR PRASAD, NILAKANTA SHARMA, SUMIT
Forwards
SHAMSHER SINGH, DILPREET SINGH, GURJANT SINGH, LALIT KUMAR UPADHYAY, MANDEEP SINGH
