Goalkeeper Dahiya to lead India A in Australian Hockey League

Goalkeeper Vikas Dahiya was on Wednesday named captain of India A for the Australian Hockey League (AHL), starting on September 28 in Perth.

Krishan B Pathak is another goalkeeper in the squad which has defender Amit Rohidas as vice-captain.

The squad will feature Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Gurinder Singh, Anand Lakra, Baljit Singh and Vikramjit Singh in defence.

Harjeet Singh, Ashish Kumar Topno, Hardik Singh, Santa Singh and Nilakanta Sharma will be the midfielders.

The forward line includes Armaan Qureshi, Mohd Umar, Simranjit Singh, Affan Yousuf and Talwinder Singh.

This will be the second consecutive season that teams from India and New Zealand will feature in the AHL.

There will be 10 teams in the tournament including defending champions Victoria, Northern Territory, South Australia, Western Australia, New South Wales, Tasmania, Australian Capital Territory, Queensland, New Zealand and India A Team.

"Playing at the Australian Hockey League (AHL) will be a great exposure for the team as it is one of the most competitive league events played," Hockey India (HI) High Performance Director David John said in a release.

"We hope the boys make the most of the opportunity they get while playing against some of the best players from Australia."

India have been placed in Pool B alongside Western Australia, New South Wales, Northern Territory and Australian Central Territory and will play their opening match of the tournament against Western Australia on September 29.

--IANS

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