Hockey core probables camp to begin on Saturday

Ahead of the Hockey World League (HWL) Semi-Final, a preparatory camp for the Indian men's core probables will commence at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here on Saturday and will continue till June 9.

Forty-Eight players will be part of the initial camp, wherein they will be gauged on their skills and how they play under pressure. Following a week training session of the camp, the top 33 core probables will be identified along with the team for the Indian squad to play in the FIH HWL Semi-Final to be held in Antwerp, Belgium from June 20 to July 5.

The 48 players are part of the initial camp will also see players getting picked up from the recently culminated national championship and include names like Akash Chikte who is a promising goalkeeper and was declared the one of the upcoming players of the senior national championship.

Besides him, goalkeeper Arpit Chaudhary and Abhinav Pandey have even made it to the core probables.

Talented defender Sunil Yadav and midfielders Vikas Sharma and Imran Khan will also feature in the camp. Young strikers P.R. Ayiapa, Harasahib Singh, Jaskaran Singh, Vineet Kamble and Amir Khan will get a chance to impress chief coach Paul van Ass.

Prior to the camp, the Indian team also played in a Test series against Japan at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. India won the series 3-0. The Indian team experimented with new strategies and team combinations, which yielded them positive results.

"It is nice to see new boys getting a chance to prove their worth and potential. Each new player identified on the probables list is from their performance during the national championships and their future potential to be part of the Indian squad," high performance director Roelant Oltmans said in a release.

"Their performance was the key for us to select them for the camp and give them a chance to further refine their skills and experience."