New Delhi, March 11:  Hockey India on Monday announced the 28-member core probable group for the Senior Men’s National Coaching Camp, scheduled to commence on March 12 and last until March 30 at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

The upcoming camp is significant as the Indian Team will aim to fine-tune their preparations ahead of the crucial Paris 2024 Olympics.

The team returns to camp after a successful outing in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24, where they are currently placed third after claiming 15 points from 8 matches across Bhubaneswar and Rourkela legs. The league will resume on May 22, 2024 in Antwerp, Belgium, before moving to London on June 1 and then the Netherlands for the final leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24.

The core group of the National Coaching Camp includes goalkeepers Krishan Bahadur Pathak, PR Sreejesh, Suraj Karkera and defenders Harmanpreet Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Sanjay, Sumit, and Amir Ali.

The midfielders called up to the camp include Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Rabichandra Singh Moirangthem, Shamsher Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Rajkumar Pal, Vishnukant Singh. While the list of forwards includes Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Abhishek, Dilpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Gurjant Singh, Mohammed Raheel Mouseen, Boby Singh Dhami, and Araijeet Singh Hundal.

India chief coach Craig Fulton explained the importance of the upcoming camp, saying, “We are looking to begin an important block of training in this camp, and we need to ensure we are in the best shape possible before heading for a series of test matches in Australia.

"The players chosen for the camp will be in contention to play the upcoming set of important games; hence, we have picked a group of experienced players along with some youngsters who played in the Pro League as well.

"The Pro League mini-tournament in Odisha proved to be an excellent testing ground, but there is always room for improvement, and we will look to set things straight well before the final leg of the Pro League and the Paris 2024 Olympics."

Indian Men’s Hockey Team 28-member Core Group:

Goalkeepers: Krishan Bahadur Pathak, PR Sreejesh, Suraj Karkera,

Defenders: Harmanpreet Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh, Sanjay, Sumit, Amir Ali,

Midfielders: Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Rabichandra Singh, Moirangthem, Shamsher Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Rajkumar Pal, Vishnukant Singh

Forwards: Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Abhishek, Dilpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Gurjant Singh, Mohammed Raheel Mouseen, Boby Singh Dhami, Araijeet Singh Hundal.

(IANS)