Uttam Singh named captain for hockey tournament in Germany

New Delhi, Jul 27 (PTI) The junior Indian hockey team will be led by talismanic forwards Uttam Singh as captain and Boby Singh Dhami as his deputy, in the upcoming four-nations tournament at Dusseldorf, Germany, the sport’s national federation said on Thursday.

Hockey India announced a 20-member squad that will participate in the tournament scheduled from August 18 to 22.

India will play against England, Spain, and hosts Germany in the tournament, which will be part of the team’s preparations for the all-important FIH Men’s Junior World Cup 2023, scheduled to be played in Kuala Lumpur from December 5 to 16.

The goalkeeping department will be entrusted to the reliable duo of Mohith H S and Ranvijay Singh Yadav, while the defenders travelling to Germany are Sharda Nand Tiwari, Rohit, Amandeep Lakra, Amir Ali, Waribam Niraj Kumar Singh, and Yogember Rawat.

Meanwhile, the midfield will see the presence of dynamic players like Poovanna C B, Vishnukant Singh, Rajinder Singh, Amandeep, Sunit Lakra, Chetan Sharma, and Amit Kumar Yadav.

In the forward department, the team consists of experienced players, namely, Araijeet Singh Hundal, Angad Bir Singh, Boby Singh Dhami, Uttam Singh, and Sudeep Chirmako.

Speaking on the tour, coach CR Kumar said, “We have been training hard in preparation for the World Cup and have identified some areas of improvement. The four-nations tournament is the perfect opportunity to see if our plans are feasible.”