Men, women teams for Youth Olympic Qualifier Hockey Tournament
India will make its International debut in Hockey 5s at Bangkok later this month when its both men and women (under-18) teams will take part in the Youth Olympics Qualifying Tournament starting on April 25. Hockey India on Monday named the teams for the Bangkok tournament. The five-day event is a qualifying event for Youth Olympic Games 2018 to be held at Buenos Aires, Argentina which will follow the futuristic Hockey 5’s format.
Vivek Sagar Prasad, who is currently representing the India at the Gold Coast XXI Commonwealth Games, will lead the nine-member men’s team while Rabichandra Singh Moirangthem will shoulder the responsibility of his deputy The team includes goalkeeper Prashant Kumar Chauhan, defenders Rabichandra along with Sanjay while the midfield will see Vivek joined by Shivam Anand, Rahul Kumar Rajbhar and Yashdeep Siwach. Forwards Mohd. Alishan and Maninder Singh too find themselves in the Indian squad who are grouped with Korea, Japan, Hong Kong China, and Thailand in Pool A.
The women’s team, on the other hand, will be led by Salima Tete while Lalremsiami, who is in Gold Coast with the Indian team for the XXI Commonwealth Games will be her deputy. Bichu Devi Kharibam will guard India’s goalpost while Salima, Ishika Chaudhary will form the defence, Baljeet Kaur and Chetna will play as midfielders and Sangita Kumari, Mumtaz Khan, Deepika Junior and Lalremsiami will be India’s forwards at the events.
The men’s Team will play its first match against Thailand on the opening day while the women will begin their campaign against Singapore on the same day.
“The teams are currently training in Agra at the five-a-side Hockey Facility. For some of the athletes this will be their first major international exposure, we also have players who have the experience of playing for the senior Indian teams and will certainly be able to share their knowledge of international expectations with the rest of them,” stated David John, Director, High Performance, Hockey India.
Junior Men’s Team:
Goalkeeper
1. Prashant Kumar Chauhan
Defenders
2. Rabichandra Singh Moirangthem (Vice Captain)
3. Sanjay
Midfielders
4. Vivek Sagar Prasad (Captain)
5. Shivam Anand
6. Rahul Kumar Rajbhar
7. Yashdeep Siwach
Forwards
8. Mohd. Alishan
9. Maninder Singh
Junior Women's Team
Goalkeeper
1. Bichu Devi Kharibam
Defenders
2. Salima Tete (Captain)
3. Ishika Chaudhary
Midfielders
4. Baljeet Kaur
5. Chetna
Forwards
6. Sangita Kumari
7. Mumtaz Khan
8. Deepika (Jr.)
9. Lalremsiami (Vice Captain)
-PTC News
