Right Defender
Birendra Lakra
Once hailed as India’s most consistent player, the Odisha defender had lost his way a touch over the last two years because of injuries and persistent niggles. But his selection over Rupinder should give him the confidence that the team management has his back. Considering India are going in with an inexperienced backline, Lakra’s experience will be crucial. A World Cup in front of his home fans will also be the ideal balm after missing Rio Olympics thanks to a career-threatening knee injury during a training session. Harendra Singh may not start with Lakra as he has lost a yard of pace, but he is still an invaluable member of the team.
● Caps: 168
● DOB: February 3, 1990
● Age: 28
● Department: BPCL
● State: Jharkhand
● Position: Defender
● Previous appearance: 2014
● Best performance: 2014 Asian Games gold
Goalkeepers PR Sreejesh
One of the few world-class players in the Indian side, the goalkeeper burst into limelight at the Junior Asia Cup in 2008. But he became a regular under the sticks only after the likes of Bharat Chhetri and Adrian D Souza exited the stage. Nicknamed Spiderman by members of the fraternity because of his extraordinary reach and ability, the 30-year-old custodian has been the spine behind some of India’s more famous performances. Those include a bronze — India’s first FIH medal in 33 years — at World League Final in Raipur in 2015. Worryingly enough, has not been at his best since sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury last year.
● Caps: 204
● DOB: May 8, 1988
● Age: 30
● Department: General Education, Kerala
● State: Tamil Nadu
● Position: Goalkeeper
● Previous appearance: 2014
● Best performance: 2014 Asian Games gold
Right Defender Kothajit Singh
It is not hyperbole to suggest that the shy, unassuming Manipuri scored two of India’s most significant goals in recent times. After drawing India level in the final of 2014 Asian Games, he scored the winner against Argentina in the group stages of 2016 Olympics, a match which virtually assured India a quarterfinal place. A mainstay since breaking into the national side after the 2012 Games in London, he is the youngest of four brothers. He may not be as readily recognised as the likes of Sreejesh or Manpreet Singh but his importance can be seen from a very important fact: barring the captain and Sreejesh, he is the first name on the team sheet.
● Caps: 186
● DOB: August 17, 1992
● Age: 25
● Department: IOC
● State: Manipur
● Position: Midfielder
● Previous appearance: 2014
● Best performance: 2014 Asian Games gold
Right Defender
Amit Rohidas
Another of the Indian nationals who took advantage of Hockey India League to remind selectors what he was capable of. Considering he broke into the national team during Terry Walsh’s reign in early 2014, he is a familiar name but coaches haven’t always picked him for national duty. “The two-year gap (the time he was away from the squad) still feels like a mystery,” he said during World League Final in 2017. “I don’t know what went wrong.” Rohidas, who excelled for Kalinga Lancers in the 2017 edition of HIL, did not play Asian Champions Trophy but he did enough in training to be included for World Cup.
● Caps: 69
● DOB: May 10, 1993
● Age: 25
● Department: Railways
● State: Odisha
● Position: Defender
● Previous appearance: Debut
● Best performance: 2018 Asian Games bronze
Chinglensana Singh
When Manipur hosted National Games in 1999, a nine-year-old went to watch hockey matches for the first time in his life. Chinglen, as he is fondly known by members of the team, was instantly sold. Since being noticed by Indian Railways in 2009, his career has been on a constant upswing. He made his debut in Champions Challenge in 2011 and has generally been around the first team squad; a status which shows his importance to the team. If Manpreet is the midfield engine for India, the Manipuri, who is the team’s second in command, is the oil which facilitates that engine to perform at a high level.
● Caps: 199
● DOB: December 2, 1991
● Age: 26
● Department: Railways
● State: Manipur
● Position: Midfielder
● Previous appearance: 2014
● Best performance: 2014 Asian Games gold
Manpreet Singh (C)
Captain. Leader. Midfield maestro. Indian hockey — both on and off the field — regressed this year. Of that, there can be little doubt. Sure, they shared the Asian Champions Trophy but that’s a Mickey Mouse title. In the biggest matches, they became a bunch of Davids. What makes the Jalandhar-born lad a special talent is his ability to make the sport look easy. His vision — he was identified as the replacement for Sardar Singh even in 2012 — and reading of the game is the best in the country.
● Caps: 238
● DOB: June 26, 1992
● Age: 26
● Department: BPCL
● State: Punjab
● Position: Midfielder
● Previous appearance: Debut
● Best performance: 2014 Asiad gold
forwards
Dilpreet Singh
● Caps: 36
● DOB: November 12, 1999
● Age: 19
● State Unit: Hockey Punjab
● State: Punjab
● Position: Forward
● Previous appearance: Debut
● Best performance: 2018 Champions Trophy silver
He made his U-21 debut only last year but Dilpreet’s meteoric rise has been such that he was fast-tracked into the senior side at Four Nations Invitational meet in New Zealand in January. Having scored against Belgium and Japan there, Sjoerd Marijne retained him for Commonwealth Games. Dilpreet, like many of his teammates, disappointed. But that shouldn’t be held against him. The oodles of talent he possesses has been very evident from a very young age after his father, a coach in a village near Amritsar, pushed him into the sport.
Akashdeep Singh
● Caps: 174
● DOB: December 2, 1994
● Age: 23
● Department: ONGC
● State: Punjab
● Position: Forward
● Previous appearance: 2014
● Best performance: 2014 Asian Games gold
Broke into the Indian team at the age of 18 and seemed to be delivering on the hype with the winner in the Asian Games semifinal in 2014. Is a more modern striker in that he has the tendency to drop deep and help out midfield, but his big problem area is finishing. His build-up play is very good but he usually struggles to put the ball in the back of the net. While that is a concern, his work ethic and reading of the game is such that he has been a sure-shot starter under the last four Indian coaches (Terri Walsh, Roelant Oltmans, Sjoerd Marijne and Harendra Singh). Will be the starting centre forward.
Mandeep Singh
● Caps: 125
● DOB: January 25, 1995
● Age: 23
● Department: Surjit Academy
● State: Punjab
● Position: Forward
● Previous appearance: 2014
● Best performance: 2016 Junior World Cup winner
A cricket fanatic, he took to playing hockey after watching his elder brother play. Former star Sandeep Singh and Sardar Singh were two of the biggest influences in his life. A pacier version of Akashdeep, the two problem areas in his game are lack of consistency and nervousness when presented with chances. His speed and dribbling skills, however, will trouble opposition defenders. May be young but his experience — he has already featured in Olympics, Champions Trophy and World Cup — is staggering. The time is ripe for him to convert potential into something more meaningful.
Midfielders
Hardik Singh
His genes could well be a six-letter word called "hockey"; it runs in his family. Sample this. His father (Varinderpreet Singh) was a former international, an uncle a renwoned drag-flick specialist back in the day (Jugraj Singh) and aunt (Rajbir Kaur) a former captain of the women’s national team. It’s fair to say that the teenager is a bit of an unknown because he made his international bow only last month at Asian Champions Trophy. Hardik, who enjoyed success in age-group matches, obviously caught the eye during the tournament in Oman.
● Caps: 6
● DOB: September 23, 1998
● Age: 20
● State Unit: Hockey Punjab
● State: Punjab
● Position: Midfielder
● Previous appearance: Debut
● Best performance: 2018 Asian Champions Trophy gold
Goalkeepers
Krishan Pathak
The back-up custodian, who was a part of the Junior World Cup winning squad in 2016, is somebody who has just managed to recover from a life filled with tragedies. After losing his mother when he was 10, the Jalandhar-born player lost his father when he was with the junior squad in England. He skipped the funeral to be with the team as it was his maiden tour. Even though his career has barely taken shape, he breathes the sport. He had once said: “(...) if it weren’t for hockey, I may have ended up doing drugs. I am happy that I am living my dream at the moment.”
● Caps: 21
● DOB: April 24, 1997
● Age: 21
● Department: Hockey Punjab
● State: Punjab
● Position: Goalkeeper
● Previous appearance: Debut
● Best performance: 2016 Junior World Cup winner
Left Defender
Varun Kumar
● Caps: 59
● DOB: July 25, 1995
● Age: 23
● Department: Hockey Punjab
● State: Punjab
● Position: Defender
● Previous appearance: Debut
● Best performance: 2016 Junior World Cup winner
One of many India internationals who came through Surjit Singh Hockey Academy in Jalandhar, but that’s where similarities end. While the others dreamt of hockey sticks, Kumar’s interest was lukewarm at best. That changed after watching Manpreet Singh, school senior, play for the country. He progressed through the ranks before starring for the juniors in Lucknow. A self-confessed Cristiano Ronaldo fanatic, his goal celebrations mimic the Portuguese. He already has big-match temperament. Was fast-tracked by Sjoerd Marijne but he has not fallen foul to underperformance. Having played with many established pros in HIL, Kumar already possesses a wealth of nous and street-smartness.
Left Defender
Harmanpreet Singh
● Caps: 90
● DOB: January 6, 1996
● Age: 22
● Department: Hockey Punjab
● State: Punjab
● Position: Defender
● Previous appearance: Debut
● Best performance: 2016 Junior World Cup winner
The Men in Blue’s star drag-flicker has a cute backstory as to how he got that skill set. He used to drive his father’s tractor for hours on the field, inadvertently giving him the necessary strength in his forearms to drive the ball from the top of the D during dead balls. With Rupinderpal Singh not considered and Varun Kumar a junior, if India have to reach the later stages, it’s crucial that Harmanpreet finds his scoring touch from the very first game. The one obvious worry is the right-back’s transition from Junior World Cup winner to reliable senior has hit a few roadblocks because of his penchant to ball-watch on a
few occasions.
Left Defender
Surender Kumar
● Caps: 103
● DOB: November 23, 1993
● Age: 25
● Department: Food Corporation of India
● State: Haryana
● Position: Defender
● Previous appearance: Debut
● Best performance: 2018 Champions Trophy silver
A Cinderella story if ever there was one. He wasn’t even in the probables list for 2016 Olympics but a combination of grit, hard work and good performances in Hockey India League thrust him into the spotlight at Sultan Azlan Shah Trophy that year. Even though he impressed there, an Olympics call-up, many believed, would be beyond him. But he made it to the squad on the back of an impressive Champions Trophy in London which prompted quite a few hacks to ask, "Surender who?". The un-flashy, solid defender was one of the very few players to emerge from this Asian Games with a modicum of credit to his name.
Nilakanta Sharma
Another of the young turks who first made a mark with the juniors at the 2016 World Cup. The midfielder may be young but he has been brought into the fold by Harendra Singh after former coach Sjoerd Marijne had kept him on the periphery. That Nilakanta, the second Manipuri in the squad, came at the expense of the talented Vivek Sagar Prasad tells everything you need to know about his place in the side. His no-nonsense approach to the game and judicious recycling of possession with a minimum of fuss is a prized asset.
● Caps: 25
● DOB: May 2, 1995
● Age: 23
● Department: MP Hockey Academy
● State: Madhya Pradesh
● Position: Midfielder
● Previous appearance: Debut
● Best performance: 2016 Junior World Cup winner
Sumit
● Caps: 49
● DOB: December 20, 1996
● Age: 21
● Department: Hockey Haryana
● State: Haryana
● Position: Midfielder
● Previous appearance: Debut
● Best performance: 2016 Junior World Cup winner
Was marked as a potential India player from a very young age. The Sonepat lad, in fact, received his first call to the national camp when he was just 16. While the call-up did not materialise into playing for the senior squad, watching the likes of Sreejesh and Sardar Singh train left a big impression on him. “Even when it came to off-the-pitch training like gym and running, they gave their 100%. I wanted to be like that.” Was one of Harendra’s trusted lieutenants at the 2016 Junior World Cup and has been rewarded for his consistent performances with the senior squad over the last year with a ticket to the WC.
Lalit Kumar Upadhyay
● Caps: 89
● DOB: December 1, 1993
● Age: 24
● Department: BPCL
● State: Uttar Pradesh
● Position: Forward
● Previous appearance: Debut
● Best performance: 2018 Champions Trophy silver
“Patience,” as the saying goes, “is the mother of all virtues.” And Lalit knows that only too well for he has had to wait for a very long time to cement his place in the national team. The Varanasi lad has been a permanent fixture in the core probables of the senior group since 2014, but that hasn’t always transformed into a place in the final 18. Having performed admirably for Kalinga Lancers in the last few seasons, the forward has always performed well when called upon. In fact, he lit up last year’s Asia Cup with goals at crucial stages, a tournament which India went on to win.
Simranjeet Singh
● Caps: 24
● DOB: December 27, 1996
● Age: 21
● Department: Punjab & Sind Bank
● State: Punjab
● Position: Forward
● Previous appearance: Debut
● Best performance: 2016 Junior World Cup winner
Another player who counts Surjit Hockey Academy as his alma mater. The versatile forward, who is adept at playing in a number of positions including the middle of the park, came into the spotlight after playing well at 2014 Senior Nationals. He used that as a springboard to get into the camp for Junior World Cup, a competition where he quietly excelled. After making his debut for the seniors in January, he has won the trust of Harendra Singh with his performances in the front line. Considering he is a very front-foot player, India will look to utilise his pressing skills to the maximum.