Sukhjit Singh was promised in India’s 20-strong men’s hockey squad announced on Tuesday for the FIH Pro League tie against Spain in Bhubaneswar later this week.
The two-stage match will be held on February 26 and 27 and the Indian team will be led by Manpreet Singh.
Dragflick specialist Harmanpreet Singh will act as Manpreet’s deputy.
The Indian team will see a new face in 25-year-old Sukhjit from Punjab, who was selected in the core group after an impressive performance during the first Hockey India Inter-Department National Championship last year.
Goalkeepers PR Sreejesh and Suraj Karkera are part of the 20-man squad for the double-header against Spain.
Harmanpreet, Mandeep Mor, Surendra Kumar, Varun Kumar, Jarmanpreet Singh and Deepson Tirkey are the defenders of the team.
The team has an experienced midfield with Manpreet, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Hardik Singh, Jaskaran Singh, Shamsher Singh, Neelkant Sharma and Akashdeep Singh.
The forwardline includes Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Shilanand Lakra, freshmen Sukhjit and Abhishek, who had done well against South Africa and France earlier this month, have also been included in the squad.
Additionally, Krishna Bahadur Pathak, Amit Rohidas, Rajkumar Pal, Moirangthem Rabichandra Singh and Dilpreet Singh have been named as standbys.
“We have picked a balanced group to play Spain this weekend and we look forward to playing at home in Bhubaneswar,” head coach Graham Reid said.
“It includes another fresh debutante striker Sukhjit Singh, who impressed during the selection camp last month and has been working hard since his selection in the Core Probables Group.”
“Spain have a new coach and will be eager to impress after losing to England. These games are an important step in preparing for a very busy year,” Reid said.
India had mixed results in Pro League matches in South Africa, where they won against the hosts, but were stunned by France in one game, prompting a sharp reaction from the Indian Olympic Association and FIH President Narinder Batra.
Batra sought an explanation for the setback and even met Hockey Indian officials and Reid after his return.
Indian team:
Goalkeepers: PR Sreejesh, Suraj Karkera.
Defenders: Harmanpreet Singh (Vice Captain), Mandeep Mor, Surendra Kumar, Varun Kumar, Jarmanpreet Singh, Deepson Tirkey.
Midfielders: Manpreet Singh (Captain), Vivek Sagar Prasad, Hardik Singh, Jaskaran Singh, Shamsher Singh, Neelkant Sharma, Akashdeep Singh.
Forwards: Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Shilanand Lakra, Sukhjit Singh, Abhishek.
Standby: Krishna Bahadur Pathak, Amit Rohidas, Rajkumar Pal, Moirangthem Rabichandra Singh, Dilpreet Singh.
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