New Delhi: On 5 August 2021, midfielder Simranjeet Singh broke through German goalkeeper Alexander Stadler’s defence to score a brace. The shot, which came in the 34th minute of the game, helped India post a 5-4 victory over Germany in the Tokyo Olympics, ending a 41-year Olympic medal drought for its men’s hockey team.
Nearly 18 months later, India aims to create history on their home turf in Rourkela and Bhubaneshwar and get another monkey off their backs — a podium finish at the Men’s Hockey World Cup, which the country has not achieved since the title-winning run in 1975.
As India, now under the captaincy of defender Harmanpreet Singh, head into the first world cup game against Spain, ThePrint, with some help from Hockey India, brings you the 18-man Indian squad.
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Senior heads
Harmanpreet Singh (age 26, defender, captain)
Described by Hockey India as “one of the best drag-flickers in the world”, Amritsar-born defender Harmanpreet Singh has captained India since October 2022 — over seven years after his maiden call-up to the national setup for a bilateral series against Japan. One of two squad members developed by the Surjit Hockey Academy, Harmanpreet is by some distance India’s primary goalscorer from penalty corners, having beaten defences 126 times in 164 appearances.
Amit Rohidas (age 29, defender, vice-captain)
While India’s captain is known for being prolific in front of goal, the primary role of his fellow defender and vice-captain Amit Rohidas is the “crazy, stupid, brave” job of being a first rusher, charging at the opposing team’s drag flickers in a basic protective gear to block the ball during penalty corners. Born in Odisha’s hockey-loving Sundargarh district, Rohidas’s meteoric rise within the team since his 2017 comeback has come at the perfect time for his state’s significant investment in the sport.
P.R. Sreejesh (age 34, goalkeeper)
Hailing from a Kochi suburb, goalkeeper Sreejesh has found himself as the grand old man of modern Indian hockey, having grown from a third-choice youth player selected in the senior squad in 2006 and seen the highs and lows of the game in India from one end of the field.
After making his World Cup and Olympics debuts as an understudy to Adrian d’Souza and Bharat Chettri during India’s disappointing 2010 and 2012 campaigns respectively, Sreejesh established himself as the undisputed first-choice post-2012 due to his superlative performances. Sreejesh has defended India’s goal in 274 matches and is now usually the first name on the team sheet even during the team’s lowest ebbs.
Manpreet Singh (age 30, midfielder)
Mithapur’s Manpreet Singh — the captain who led India to the bronze medal at Tokyo — is the squad’s most experienced player at the international level with 314 caps (appearances), having been a regular in the senior side since the 2012 London Olympics. As the team’s talisman outfield player, Manpreet is also the most decorated Indian hockey captain in the modern era, taking over the position in 2017 and culminating with a silver medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
Akashdeep Singh (age 28, midfielder)
Another senior player key to India’s gradual rise to the top of global hockey in recent years, Akashdeep Singh had missed out on a place in the Olympics squad, not figuring in head coach Graham Reid’s plans at the time due to a dip in performances and high competition for the striker position. However, this prolific goalscorer from Tarn Taran responded to the omission by rebuilding parts of his game and re-emerging as a midfielder, according to Ali Asgar Naswala for Olympics.com.
Mandeep Singh (age 27, forward)
Although he came through the ranks at a similar time as Akashdeep, Mandeep Singh has surpassed his teammate’s career goals tally in a shorter period, having scored 96 from 194 appearances to Akashdeep’s 85 from 218. After enduring a relatively quiet Olympics, Mandeep may be peaking at a potentially opportune time for India in this tournament. The Jalandhar-born forward has earned the moniker “Mr. Fourth Quarter” due to his tendency to rescue draws and hard-fought wins for India with last-minute goals in the past year.
Lalit Upadhyay (age 29, forward)
The sole representative of India’s most populous state in this World Cup, Varanasi-born Lalit Upadhyay is perhaps best considered as a relatively late bloomer in this young squad, having only established himself in his mid-twenties. While not an automatic pick in the first XI, Upadhyay’s contributions to the side are no less important, as he has amassed 31 goals in his 133 appearances, including 3 goals at the last World Cup.
Surender Kumar (aged 29, defender)
A “crucial cog” in the team’s defensive backline, Surender Kumar has spent the entirety of his 10-year, 172-caps India career under the radar among fans, media, and award ceremonies compared to his defensive partners like Harmanpreet. However, in an era dominated by goal-fests under amended rules, the Karnal born player’s irreplaceable importance to the team lies in breaking up the opponent’s buildup play and in counterattacks by making interceptions across the defensive areas of the pitch.
Varun Kumar (aged 27, defender)
Despite the wealth of experience since his international debut in 2017, Dalhousie resident Varun Kumar was originally not included in the Tokyo Olympics squad and considered himself lucky to be an “alternate” selection, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic that had affected the games.
However, once he took the field in India’s must-win pool match against Argentina, he opened the scoring to ensure that India came out as 3-1 winners and moved a step closer to the podium.
Sub-100 caps and the next generation
Amid the continued successes of the Indian men’s team after years of drought, the biggest off-field contribution has arguably come from head coach Graham Reid, a former defender and midfielder in the Australian national hockey team.
Reid’s support staff includes South African analytical coach Gregg Clark and former India player Shivendra Singh.
While India has always had a significant talent pool in hockey, it’s this new set-up with Reid at the top since 2019 that has not only settled on its first-choice lineup but also created strength in depth by introducing younger players and giving fringe players precious minutes in international tournaments like the FIH Pro League, the Asia Cup and the Commonwealth Games.
As a result, India comes into the World Cup with an average squad age of 26.7 years, similar to top hockey teams like Argentina and Netherlands, and lower than those of defending champions Belgium and rivals Australia.
Moreover, several of these younger players are already fast approaching the 100-cap club that the senior squad members have amassed over the years, making up for the downtime and the unfulfilled fixtures that resulted from the pandemic.
For instance, 25-year-old backup goalkeeper Krishan Pathak has already taken the field 80 times for India, gradually groomed to take the reins from Sreejesh in the future. Midfielders Hardik Singh (24), and Vivek Prasad (22) have also featured more than 80 times each, while 23-year-old striker Abhishek and 24-year-old defender Nilam Sandeep Xess will hit their 50 caps soon.
Much like his senior teammate Rohidas, Xess is also representative of Odisha’s deep investment and modernisation of facilities to advance hockey in the country, having grown up in a previously underdeveloped village in Sundergarh district.
With the team having already broken its Olympic medal hoodoo in Tokyo and made further strides under the tenures of Reid and Clark, nothing less than a semifinals finish will be seen as a good enough showing for the host nation.
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)
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