"FIH Pro League oppositions will be difficult and challenging"- Chief Coach Graham Reid

The FIH Pro League is slated to take place in Potchefstroom, South Africa between February 8 and 13. The Indian men's hockey team will kickstart their campaign against France in the season opener on February 8.

The Indian team will square off against France and South African hockey teams during the tournament. While talking about the upcoming hockey tournament, India's Chief Coach Graham Reid termed it "difficult and challenging."

Ahead of the tournament, Coach Graham Reid spoke about the two oppositions:

"South Africa matches will come after their African Cup of Nations title win. They will be very keen to continue what they started at Tokyo Olympics last year. France are an up-and-coming nation in Hockey who did well at the Junior World Cup. They also have a new Coach in Fred Soyez, who will bring in a new influx of tactics. These will be two very difficult and challenging oppositions."

Skipper Manpreet Singh-led Indian squad will depart for South Africa on February 4. Manpreet shared his views on how competing at the FIH Pro League will help the team in improving their performance ahead of the Asian Games.

"These are the first matches of this year and we want to start on a positive note. Our first focus is that we do not underestimate any team. We want to play these matches and improve ourselves and increase our confidence, especially with Asia Cup and Asian Games coming up this year, followed by the World Cup in 2023."

Hockey India names Indian squad ahead of FIH Pro League

Hockey India has announced a 20-member Indian men's hockey squad, ahead of the FIH Pro League on Thursday (January 27).

The team includes a mixture of experienced as well as young players making their debuts. Coach Graham Reid also spoke about the team selection process.

Speaking on the squad selection, Reid said:

"We want to ensure that our players and everyone understands how seriously we are taking these games. The team we have picked is pretty reflective of that. We also want the players who have not had opportunities to play since the Olympics to get back in the fray."

The 20-member squad includes:

Goalkeepers: Sreejesh PR, Krishan Bahadur Pathak

Defenders: Harmanpreet Singh (Vice Captain), Amit Rohidas, Surender Kumar, Varun Kumar, Jarmanpreet Singh, Jugraj Singh

Midfielders: Manpreet Singh (Captain), Nilakanta Sharma, Hardik Singh, Jaskaran Singh, Shamsher Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad

Forwards: Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Akashdeep Singh, Shilanand Lakra, Dilpreet Singh, Abhishek

Standbys: Suraj Karkera, Mandeep Mor, Raj Kumar Pal, Sumit, Gursahibjit Singh