The Indian men’s hockey team would be aiming to do one better than their efforts in Tokyo when they step on to the field for the Paris Olympics 2024, aiming for another medal. The Indian team produced a spirited performance in the Tokyo Olympics as they defeated Germany in a 5-4 thriller to clinch the Bronze medal. This ended a 41-year drought for the Indian team in Olympics as they finally won a medal on the grand stage.
Since then, a lot has changed in Indian hockey. Graham Reid was shown the door following a disastrous home World Cup campaign in 2023 and in came Craig Fulton. The South African, worked as an assistant coach for the reigning Olympic champions Belgium. Fulton was quick to change the mood in the squad as he helped India win the Asian Champions Trophy and helped them gain automatic Olympics qualification after a fantastic and dominant run in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, where they won the gold medal.
India has a rich history when it comes to the Olympics and they will be aiming to go for gold this time in Paris. They have picked a strong squad for the event, which is a perfect blend of youth and experience. Veterans like PR Sreejesh and Manpreet Singh will be the wisemen for captain Harmanpreet Singh as he aims to lead India to glory in his first Olympics as the skipper. The ace drag flicker will once again be counted upon as the main source for goals in the side along with forwards like Mandeep, Gurjant, Abhishek and Lalit Upadhyay.
India has 5 Olympic debutants in the form of Jarmanpreet Singh, Sanjay, Raj Kumar Pal, Abhishek and Sukhjeet Singh in their ranks, which would provide the much-needed young blood in the team.
India’s squad for Olympics 2024
Goalkeepers:
1.Sreejesh Parattu Raveendran
Defenders:
2.Jarmanpreet Singh
3.Amit Rohidas
4.Harmanpreet Singh
5.Sumit
6.Sanjay
Midfielders:
7.Rajkumar Pal
8.Shamsher Singh
9.Manpreet Singh
10.Hardik Singh
11.Vivek Sagar Prasad
Forwards:
12. Abhishek
13. Sukhjeet Singh
14. Lalit Kumar Upadhyay
15.Mandeep Singh
16.Gurjant Singh
Alternate Athletes:
17.Nilakanta Sharma
18.Jugraj Singh
19. Krishan Bahadur Pathak.
India’s road to Gold
India’s journey to the top podium at the Olympics 2024 is set to be a tough one. India are in Pool B for the 12-team Paris 2024 Olympics men’s hockey tournament. They will be alongside defending champions Belgium, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and Ireland.
Pool A comprises of the Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain, Spain, South Africa and host nation France. For India to make it out of the pool, they will need to finish fourth or higher. The big tests will be against Belgium, Australia and Argentina, while New Zealand can also pose a threat.
India’s journey in the Paris Olympics 2024 begins with a clash against New Zealand on July 27, followed by a match against Argentina on July 29. The team will then take on Ireland and Belgium on July 30 and August 1, respectively, before their final group stage encounter against Australia on August 2.
The final of the Olympics 2024 will be played on August 8.