Know your Heroes: All you need to know about India's Tokyo 2020 bronze medal-winning men's Hockey team 

Coach Graham Reid had to face a few uncomfortable questions when he named 10 players in the 16-member squad who had no prior experience of playing in the Olympics. The Australian reasoned that he had put much thought behind team selection and the best players have been chosen.

Two players were then added as 'alternate athletes' to the 16-member team due to Covid-19 relaxations for Tokyo 2020. And Reid was vindicated after India won the bronze medal at Tokyo 2020, courtesy of beating Germany 5-4, winnning an Olympic medal after 41 years. The juniors in Dilpreet Singh, Shamsher Singh proved their mettle and ably supported the senior players like skipper Manpreet Singh and goalkeeper PR Sreejesh.

Let us take a look at the 18 players who helped India finish on the podium after 41 years.

Manpreet Singh

Singh is one of the veterans and this was Manpreet's third Olympic Games. In 2019, he became the first Indian player to be named FIH Men's Hockey Player of the Year. His idol is Padmi Shree Pargat Singh who hails from the same village of Manpreet (Jalandhar). In 2011 he made his debut in the Indian junior team and within a year he was promoted to be a part of the squad that travelled to the 2012 London Olympics. Apart from the Olympic bronze, he has won an Asian Games gold, Asia Cup gold, and two Asian Champions Trophy medal.

P.R Sreejesh

Along with Manpreet, he was one of the most senior and experienced players in the squad. This was his third Olympics, having made his first appearance at London 2012. The Kochi-based goalkeeper made his India debut in 2006 and since then, has been a wall between the goalposts. At Tokyo 2020, he was extremely good, pulling off numerous crucial saves throughout the tournament. Like Manpreet, he has an Asian Games gold, apart from a few Asian Champions trophy winners medals.

Harmanpreet Singh

The sturdy defender and India's charismatic drag-flicker is a Junior World Cup Champion. This was his second Olympics after participating in Rio 2016. His solid defending and his goals from penalty corners were a boon for India at Tokyo. He is a product of the Surjit Hockey Academy in Jalandhar and had dreams of becoming a forward. He won the Asia Cup in 2017 and also has the Asian Champions Trophy gold medal in 2018.

Rupinder Pal Singh

There had been much talk about Rupinder's inclusion in the 16-member squad of Tokyo since he has not had the best times in the last year. But the defender proved his worth with tracer bullet-like drag flicks that pierced the net often. In 2018 he was dropped from the side but he came back in 2019, improving his defensive skills and fitness. This was his second Olympics after Rio 2016. He has 216 caps and 115 goals to his name.

Surender Kumar

The ever-dependable defender made his international debut in 2011. He came to prominence during his stint with Delhi Waveriders for his string of impressive displays in defence. He comes from a humble background in Odisha and even his first hockey stick was a gift to him from his neighbour. He was part of the squad that won the 2017 Asia Cup.

Birendra Lakra

He is another senior member with over 200 caps to his name. His knee injury prevented him from participating in Rio 2016 but he made it a point to travel to Tokyo to compete in his second Olympics. He is usually one of the first rushers while defending penalty corners. A serial winner, he has a gold in Asian Games, a silver in Commonwealth Games, and two bronze medals in the World League.

Simranjeet Singh

The attacking midfielder was not part of the initial 16-member squad that was announced by Graham Reid. He went to Tokyo as one of the three reserves. Simranjeet and Varun Kumar was then added to the squad as 'alternate athletes'. In the bronze-medal match, he scored two crucial goals against Germany and proved his mettle. He was a part of the squad that won the 2016 Junior World Cup.

Amit Rohidas

The defender might not have made his Olympic debut but he is a seasoned campaigner who has been in the fray since the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in 2013. He hails from Saunamura village in Odisha, a place that first gained prominence after the emergence of hockey legend Dileep Tirkey. His favourite winning moment is the Asia Cup win in Dhaka, 2017.

Hardik Singh

The midfielder was an integral part of the squad that won the Asian Champions Trophy in Muscat in 2018. It was his first major tournament. He is the kin of former drag-flicker Jugraj Singh. In fact, his father Varinderpreet Singh was also an International hockey player. He has made 39 appearances for India and has one goal to his name. His role model is Kobe Bryant because of his hard work and obsession for the game. His favourite opponent to beat is Pakistan.

Vivek Sagar Prasad

He became the second-youngest player ever to debut for India at 17 years, 10 months and 22 days in January 2018 against Japan. Since then he has never looked back. He won the 2019 FIH Rising Star of the Year Award and etched his name in history as the first Indian to win an FIH award. Moreover, he was also named the best young player of the tournament at the 2019 FIH Series Finals.

Nilakanta Sharma

Nilkanta Sharma is a midfielder and hails from Manipur. Despite belonging from a footballing hotspot of the country, he chose hockey and made his debut for the national team in 2017 against Belgium during India's Europe tour. He was part of the squad that won the Asian Champions trophy gold in 2018.

Sumit

The forward is a huge fan of former India forward Dhanraj Pillai. Sumit belongs to Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. He made his debut for the Indian team in the 27th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in 2017. He got the national call after a string of impressive performances in the Hockey Junior World Cup in 2016, where India won gold.

Shamsher Singh

The young forward made his debut in the Indian team at the 2019 Men's Ready Steady Tokyo Hockey tournament, the test event for the Tokyo Olympics. He was trained at the Surjit Hockey Academy in Jalandhar and he took to hockey as a route to a government job. However, he continued to excel and soon found himself in the India Junior team.

Mandeep Singh

A veteran of the game who has over 150 caps to his name finally made his Olympic debut in Tokyo 2020, seven years after his maiden international appearance in February 2013, where India thrashed Fiji 16-0. He has won a medal in almost all major hockey competitions like the Asian Games, Champions Trophy, World League and a podium finish in Tokyo completes his trophy cabinet. He has netted 83 times and idolises Sardar Singh.

Dilpreet Singh

Dilpreet Singh is one of India's most prolific young forwards who took a liking for hockey after watching his father Balwinder Singh playing for the army. He is a cadet of the Surjit Singh Academy and made his debut in India's tour of New Zealand in 2018. He gets inspired by Akashdeep Singh and his favourite winning moment is the Asian Games medal in 2018.

Gurjant Singh

Gurjant Singh was regarded as one of the most potent forwards in the country after his scintillating performances in the Junior World Cup in 2016. However, frequent injuries have prevented him from realising his potential which meant he has played only 45 matches in four years. In the FIH Pro League opener against Netherlands, he scored the fastest ever international goal for India in just 13 seconds.

Lalit Kumar Upadhyay

Lalit Is another experienced candidate who made his Olympic debut in Tokyo. The forward is a fan of Roger Federer and Dhanraj Pillai and tries to channel their hard working and ambitious nature to his game. He made his international debut in 2008 in the eight-nation tournament in Malaysia. He has won the Asian Champions Trophy twice, the Asia Cup once and has also bagged bronze medals at the Asian Games and the World League.

Varun Kumar

Varun Kumar, who hails from Punjab, was a late addition to the Tokyo 2020 squad as an alternate athlete. He is from Mithapur village near Jalandhar and learnt the tricks of the trade at the Surjit Singh Academy. The defender hails from humble backgrounds and his father worked as an auto-rickshaw driver. He was part of the India team that won the Junior World Cup in 2015 and made his senior debut in 2017. He idolises Manpreet Singh who is the current captain of the India team.