Two players from Odisha Birendra lakra and Amit Rohidas were selected in Indian Men’s Hockey Team for the 18th Asian Games, slated to be held in Jakarta and Palembang from August 18.
Defenders lakra and Rohidas were named in the 18-member Indian Men’s Hockey squad led by Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh.
Midfielder Chinglensana Singh Kangujam has been named the Vice Captain for the tournament and he will be joined by the experienced Sardar Singh, Manpreet Singh, Simranjeet Singh and Vivek Sagar Prasad in the midfield.
India’s forwardline will see Akashdeep Singh return to the squad.
Experienced SV Sunil, Mandeep Singh, lalit Kumar Upadhyay and Dilpreet Singh have been included in the squad.
The team’s defence will be strengthened with the return of experienced dragflicker Rupinder Pal Singh who was rested for the Champions Trophy.
The backline will also see three other dragflickers Harmanpreet Singh, Varun Kumar and Surender Kumar apart from Amit Rohidas and Birendra lakra.
Speaking about the team composition, Chief Coach Harendra Singh said, “We have a great mix of players who have shown their abilities in the recent tournaments. It is unfortunate we will be missing out on Ramandeep Singh’s experience as he is ruled out of the Asian Games due to a recent knee surgery he underwent.