New Delhi, June 22: India on Tuesday named incumbent Manpreet Singh as the skipper of the men’s hockey team for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics where he will have two deputies in defenders Birendra Lakra and Harmanpreet Singh.
India had announced a 16-member team for the showpiece event last week but refrained from naming the team’s leadership group.
Under the mid-fielder’s captaincy, the Indian team has achieved important milestones, including winning the Asia Cup in 2017, claiming the Asian Champions Trophy in 2018 as well as winning the FIH Series Final in 2019 over the past four years.
India also reached the quarterfinals of the 2018 World Cup in Bhubaneswar and performed exceedingly well in the FIH Hockey Pro League under Manpreet before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the schedule. This will be Manpreet’s third Olympic Games and under his leadership, the team has also improved its world ranking to the No.4 spot.
Chief Coach Graham Reid said, “All three players have been an integral part of the team’s leadership over these past couple of years and have shown a lot of maturity in guiding the youngsters during these challenging times.
In the absence of skipper Manpreet in 2019, Harmanpreet led the Indian team to a win at the FIH Olympic Test event in Tokyo.
India begin their Olympic campaign on July 24 when they take on New Zealand in their first Pool stage match. (PTI)
