COVID-19 jolts Indian men's hockey camp in Bengaluru

The Indian men's hockey team suffered a massive jolt as the team members tested positive for COVID-19.

RT-PCR tests were conducted at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in Bengaluru on Wednesday morning (June 28). As many as five members, including two players and three support staff of the Indian men's hockey team, have tested positive and have mild symptoms. All the positive members are currently in isolation.

Hockey India (HI) in a statement said:

"The RTPCR tests were conducted on Wednesday morning. They have mild symptoms and have been isolated."

The Manpreet Singh-led side are currently training at the national camp ahead of the Commonwealth Games (CWG 2022). CWG is slated to be held between July 28 and August 8 in Birmingham.

Earlier, Hockey India (HI) listed 31 players for the national camp, which will conclude on July 23.

Speaking about the national camp and the areas the team needs to focus on, following their third-place finish in the 2021-22 FIH Pro League, men's team chief coach Graham Reid said:

"The next three weeks, we are going to focus on improving our performance in FIH Pro League where we had the opportunity to play against the best teams in the world. I have recognized a few areas that we can do better and be consistent at."

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CWG 2022: Indian Men's Hockey team schedule

The Indian men's hockey team have been drawn alongside England, Canada, Ghana and Wales in Pool B. They will play their opener at CWG 2022 against Ghana on July 31.

Men's Hockey Team 2022 CWG fixtures:

Match 1: India vs Ghana

Date: July 31, 2022 Timings: 8:30 pm IST

Match 2: England vs India

Date: August 1, 2022 Timings: 8:30 pm IST

Match 3: Canada vs India

Date: August 3, 2022 Timings: 6:30 pm IST

Match 3: India vs Wales

Date: August 4, 2022 Timings: 6:30 pm IST