Know your players: All you need to know about the 10 Olympic debutants who will feature for the Indian men's hockey team
Coach Graham Reid has chosen players on their current form rather than their past achievements
When the Indian hockey men's team was announced a few eyebrows were raised as coach Graham Reid had picked 10 players with no prior experience of playing in the Olympics. Although veterans like Manpreet Singh, PR Sreejesh, Birendra Lakra secured their spots, a couple of experienced players like Ramandeep Singh and Akshdeep Singh failed to make the cut.
However, the coach went on to explain his decision in detail.
"Heat and humidity were factors behind team selection. Flexibility was also taken into account," he stated during a media interaction facilitated by Hockey India.
"Then 16 players restrict your ability to accommodate more, we are used to playing with 18. If someone gets injured then we need someone versatile to play in both midfield and defense. Those were the things that played a factor."
"Modern hockey is also off the ball and not only when you have the ball. So often when we see a player is great on the ball and not necessarily off the ball. Things like team mentality are also important. They are team players who have been selected. A lot of them have played junior World Cups. They have progressed very well in the last 24 months. Australia has nine debutantes."
Amit Rohidas, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Nilakanta Sharma, Sumit, Shamsher Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Gurjant Singh and Lalit Kumar Upadhyay are the 10 players who will make their Olympic debut in Tokyo.
Before India starts their journey on Saturday morning with a group game against New Zealand, let us take a look at their individual profiles.
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. He has 97 caps under his belt and has scored 17 goals. 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. He has 62 caps for India and has scored 15 goals.
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 has played 59 matches for India and has scored 11 goals. He was part of the squad that won the Asian Champions trophy gold in 2018.
Sumit
The forward is a huge fan of 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. He has 66 caps to his name and has scored two goals.
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 means to get a job by playing on the national stage. However, he continued to excel and soon found himself in the India Junior team. He has made six appearances for the national team and has scored one goal.
Mandeep Singh
A veteran of the game who has over 150 caps to his name is finally set to make 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 will complete 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. He has 44 caps and has scored 18 goals.
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. To date, he has found the net 15 times.
Lalit Kumar Upadhyay
Lalit Is another experienced candidate who will be making 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. He has 108 caps and has scored 27 goals.