Sandeep Singh has worked hard on his game the last few months and his perseverance has finally borne fruit. The star dragflicker and striker Shivendra Singh are finally making a comeback to the Indian team for the first time after the london Olympics.
The 18 member national squad for the FIH Men World league Round 3 (Semi-Finals) will be captained by midfielder Sardar Singh.
The team will depart for Rotterdam on June 5, with their opening match scheduled against Ireland on 13 June 2013.
The Indian team qualified for the FIH Men World league Round 3 (Semi-Finals) in February this year by winning the World league Round 2. The FIH World league is a qualification tournament for the FIH Men’s World Cup 2014 to be played in The Hague, The Netherland from 31 May-15 June 2014.
India is placed in Pool B. They are in a tough group and will face a tough challenge against hosts The Netherlands, New Zealand and Ireland. While both Holland and New Zealand are ranked higher than India and should prove to be tough customers.
Australia, Spain, Belgium and fourth team (to be known after the conclusion of the final tournament of FIH World league Round 2 on 2 June 2013) are placed in Pool A.
The Indian team underwent a complete revamp after the humiliating debacle at london and have been on a roll ever since.
Chief national coach Michael Nobbs decided to leave out most of the seniors from the Indian squad with the notable exception of captain Sardar Singh.
The results were immediate and stunning with the young Indian team winning the inaugural Asian Champions league and the Hockey World league Round 2 tournament in Delhi. They also did well in the prestigious Champions Trophy in Australia.
The squad
Goalkeepers: P R Sreejesh, P T Rao
Defenders: VR Raghunath (Vice-Captain), Sandeep Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh, Harbir Singh Sandhu
Midfielders: Birendra lakra, Sardar Singh (Captain), Manpreet Singh, Kothajit Singh, Gurmail Singh
Forwards: SV Sunil, Shivendra Singh, Chinglensana Singh, Nithin Thimmaiah, Dharamvir Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh