Hockey India names 20-member squad for Hero Men's Asia Cup

Hockey India (HI) named a 20-member squad on Monday (May 9) for the 2022 Hero Men's Asia Cup. The prestigious men's hockey tournament will take place at GBK Sports Complex Hockey Stadium from May 23 to June 1, 2022, in Jakarta, Indonesia.

India have been grouped alongside Pakistan, Japan and Indonesia in Pool A. Meanwhile, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Oman and South Korea are grouped in Pool B. Indonesia, the host nation, will be participating in the Asia Cup for the first time ever.

Team India coach BJ Kariappa and former India captain and two-time Olympian Sardar Singh, who will be accompanying the team as coach, also spoke about the team's composition and preparations.

Speaking about the same, coach BJ Kariappa said:

"The team is a good mix of experienced senior players and newcomers, many of whom have played at the international level in different age-group matches but have not made their Senior India debut. Since India has already qualified for the FIH Men's World Cup by virtue of being the hosts, this will be a good platform for us to try out this new group and test how these players utilize the opportunity."

Sardar Singh stated:

"This is a very talented group of players and I have seen them work really hard over the past few weeks to earn a place in the team. On a personal front, this will be my first tournament as India coach and I am looking forward to this new experience."

Asia Cup Men's Hockey 2022: India Schedule

Match 1: India vs Pakistan

Date: May 23, 2022; Timing: 05:00 pm IST

Match 2: Japan vs India

Date: May 24, 2022; Timing: 05:00 pm IST

Match 2: India vs Indonesia

Date: May 26, 2022; Timing: 05:00 pm IST

Asia Cup Men's Hockey 2022: India squad for the tournament

Defending champions India will kickstart their campaign in the 11th edition of the Asia Cup men's hockey tournament against arch-rivals Pakistan on May 23.

The Indian squad will be led by experienced drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh, while Birendra Lakra will be the vice-captain.

Here's the 20-member Indian men's squad:

Goalkeepers: Pankaj Kumar Rajak, Suraj Karkera

Defenders: Rupinder Pal Singh (Captain), Yashdeep Siwach, Abhisek, Birendra Lakra (Vice Captain), Manjeet, Dipsan Tirkey

Midfielders: Vishnukant Singh, Raj Kumar Pal, Mareeswaren Sakthivel, Sheshe Gowda BM, Simranjeet Singh

Forwards: Pawan Rajbhar, Abharan Sudev, SV Sunil,Uttam Singh, S.Karthi

Replacement Players: Maninder Singh, Nilam Sanjeep Xess

Standbys: Pawan, Pardeep Singh, Ankit Pal, Angad Bir Singh