~ The Indian midfielder feels the season opener is a good platform to test youngsters ~
Bengaluru, 4th April 2017: With the Senior Men's Team for the 26th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup scheduled to be announced next week, Indian midfielder Manpreet Singh says this is a great tournament to see where the team stands ahead of the 2017 Men's Hockey World League Semi Final in London in June. In this year's edition, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Japan will vie for top honours along with India. "Teams like Great Britain and Australia will play with a young squad. We are awaiting the final team selection but I feel this is a great tournament for the youngsters. The atmosphere is good with lots of spectators and top teams play here so there is tough competition. Since this is the first tournament we play this year, we will be able to see where we stand and what are the changes that need to be made moving forward," stated Manpreet Singh, who was recently appointed as Deputy Superintendent of Police by Punjab Government.
In the 2016 edition of Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, India won the Silver medal after losing to Australia in the Final. But this time, the team is determined to return with a Gold medal. "Last time we lost in the Final but this time definitely the aim is to win the title. We have had really good sessions in the national camp and with youngsters in the mix there are options to try out different combinations," he feels.
"Our results will be based on how well we execute the plans we work on here in the camp," he added.
Moving forward, with the intention of infusing fresh blood into the Senior Men's Team, the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup can be a big learning for youngsters. "Players like Mandeep Singh, Harjeet Singh and Harmanpreet Singh have played in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup where they got great exposure. They were also able to understand the demands of senior level hockey. Likewise, I feel some of the other youngsters too can learn a lot from this tournament if they are selected and if they perform well then it's great for the team as we can have a fresh approach and outlook in the upcoming tournaments like 2017 Men's Hockey World League Semi Final and Men's Asia Cup 2017," he added.
Attached are pictures of Manpreet Singh along with teammates.
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