Hockey India have also chosen two vice-captains each for both teams. While Birendra Lakra and Harmanpreet Singh are the vice-captains for the men’s hockey team, Deep Grace Ekka and Savita Punia are the vice-captains for the women’s hockey team.
Indian men’s hockey team did well under Manpreet Singh
Manpreet Singh is a vital cog in India’s setup. He guided India to an Asia Cup triumph in 2017, the Asian Champions Trophy in 2018 and the FIH Series Final in 2019. The Indian team also reached the quarterfinals of the Hockey World Cup in 2018 and produced a good showing in the FIH Hockey Pro League in 2020.
Read: Why do the Indian Hockey teams have only one goalkeeper for Tokyo Olympics 2020?
Manpreet Singh will be playing in his third Olympic Games.
Manpreet Singh helped Birendra Lakra and Harmanpreet Singh grow under his wings. Birendra Lakra, a versatile defender, was part of the team which took part in the London Olympics but missed out on the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016 due to an injury.
Harmanpreet Singh is one of India’s expert dragflickers and has also led the team in Manpreet’s absence, at the FIH Hockey Olympic Test event in Tokyo.
Rani Rampal helped team grow from strength to strength
Rani Rampal’s captaincy has been one of Indian women’s hockey team’s strong points. The versatile striker has been at the helm of India’s advent in the last four years and has guided the country to wins in the Asia Cup in 2017, a silver medal each at the Asian Games in 2018 and the Hockey Champions Trophy in 2018. She also guided India to the FIH Hockey Series Final in 2019.
India also made the quarterfinals of the Hockey Women’s World Cup 2018 in London for the first time. Rani led by an example when she scored the all-important goal in FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers in Bhubaneswar. Her strike put the team ahead against the USA to secure a qualification for the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
Rani’s deputies - defender Deep Grace Ekka and goalkeeper Savita Punia – have been in the core group for close to a decade. They have been an integral part of India’s growth and helped India attain a career-best ranking of nine in 2018, after a good performance in the World Cup.
What they said
Manpreet Singh has revealed his pride in leading his country to an Olympic event. He said:
He believes the team has gelled well together and is focused on performing well at the Tokyo games.
Rani Rampal also believes the spirit in the camp is high and she is honored to lead this talented squad to Tokyo. She said:
Men’s coach Graham Reid said:
Read: Tokyo Olympics 2020: Indian Men’s Hockey Team Opponents
Women’s coach Sjoerd Marijne said :
Marijne believes having two vice-captains will benefit the team. He said:
Savita Punia, one of the vice-captains for the women’s team, thanked Hockey India for the opportunity. She said:
Birendra Lakra is one of the vice-captains of the men’s team. He said:
Also read: Tokyo Olympics 2020: Indian Women’s Hockey Team’s Opponents
Harmanpreet Singh, the second vice-captain of the men’s team said:
Deep Grace Ekka is the second vice-captain of the women’s team. She said:
Hockey India will be expecting a strong showing from both teams in Tokyo next month.
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