Sreejesh accepted that there are a few grey areas which came to light during the recent runners-up finish at the Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia.
India are placed in Pool B alongside defending champions Belgium, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and Ireland.
Rupinder has been replaced in the team by Nilam Sanjeep Xess.
Senior India hockey player Birendra Lakra was on Tuesday accused of involvement in the murder of his childhood friend Anand Toppo by the father of the deceased.
The team has only one goalkeeper in Sreejesh, which means promising Krishan Bahadur Pathak missed out on an Olympic berth
Drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh and defender Birendra Lakra, who played starring roles in the Indian hockey team's historic bronze medal-winning Tokyo Olympics campaign, on Thursday announced their international retirements.
India's chances after this defeat will be badly dented as even a big win against Indonesia in the last game might not be enough for qualification to
India started brightly and pushed hard in the first five minutes of the match but their attacks fizzled once out inside the opposition D.
India, who lost 2-5 against Japan in the pool stage, scored two eye-catching field goals
Table leaders Delhi Waveriders extended their invincible run in the Hockey India league as they trounced Ranchi Rhinos 5-2 at the Astroturf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi.
Both India, Malaysia and Korea finished on five points each in the Super 4 stage but the Birendra Lakra-side fell behind on goal difference.
Goalkeeper P R Sreejesh could feature in his first competitive event in eight months after being named in India's 20-member squad for a four-nation tournament in New Zealand. India will compete with Belgium, Japan and hosts New Zealand at Tauranga and Hamilton in the tournament, beginning January 17.
V Raghunath scored a goal in each as India began its Asia Champions Trophy hockey campaign with a dominating 4-0 victory over China, in Doha, on Thursday.
Veteran striker Sunil's participation in the mega event was always in doubt ever since he picked up a knee injury during the national camp in the lead up to the Asian Champions Trophy held in Muscat last month.
India struck four times after a goalless first quarter to tame hosts Malaysia 4-2 and rise to second in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament, in Ipoh, Malaysia, on Tuesday.
India kicked off their preparations for next month's London Olympic qualifier in style, thrashing South Africa 4-0 in the first hockey Test, in Delhi, on Monday. The Indians scored three goals in the first half, through Shivendra Singh (15th minute), Birendra Lakra (24th), Sardara Singh (28th), while the last one came from the stick of debutant S K Uthappa in the 53rd minute.
Former captain Sardar Singh was brought back to bolster the Indian hockey team's mid-field while Birendra Lakra was included to shore up the defence line-up for the upcoming Champions Trophy, beginning on June 23 in Breda, The Netherlands.
Star-studded Air India lifted the 115th edition of the Beighton Cup hockey tournament scoring a 2-1 win over defending champions Indian Oil at the Sports Authority of India artificial turf in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Drag-flicker Diwakar Ram will lead the under-21 Indian hockey team against Pakistan in a five-match away Test series from November 11 to 21. The 20-member squad also includes promising junior players in Innocent Kullu, Birendra Lakra, Mandip Antil, Amardeep Ekka among others.
Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh will lead an 18-member Indian men's hockey team in the fourth Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) to be held in Kuantan, Malaysia from October 20 to 30. With an aim to form a group of leaders, Hockey India selectors have named 24-year-old midfielder Manpreet Singh as the vice-captain of the side for this tournament in place of SV Sunil.
India went on a goal-scoring spree to trounce Poland 4-0 and finish a lowly ninth in the FIH Men's Junior World Cup in Singapore on Saturday.
Four key players, including ace drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh and midfielder S K Uthappa, were dropped from India's 18-man squad for the Hockey World League semi-final, in Antwerp, Belgium, from June 20 to July 5. Besides Rupinder and Uthappa, forwards Mandeep Singh and Satbir Singh got the axe.
Under Manpreet's captaincy, the Indian team has achieved important milestones,
Having lost the series 0-3 Belgium had the consolation of beating India 3-2 in the fifth and final match of the hockey Test series at the Mayor Radhakrishnan stadium in Chennai on Thursday night.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday
India eked out a hard-fought 2-0 win over lower-ranked China to progress to the semi-finals of the men's hockey competition at the 17th Asian Games on Saturday.
India notched up their first win in the four-nation junior hockey tournament in Lahore with a 2-1 victory over Japan.
The Indian men's hockey team will have to guard against complacency when it takes on lower-ranked Russia, while a tricky contest awaits their female counterparts against United States in the two-legged Olympic qualifiers.
The Indian men's hockey wound up its league stage engagements at the Olympics with a 4-2 victory over Japan and consolidated second place in Group A, behind Australia, on Friday.
Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium in Sundargarh district will be packed to the rafters during the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup.
Olympic bronze-winning Indian men's hockey team captain Manpreet Singh was on Tuesday added to the list of Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna awardees, taking the total number of this year's winners to an unparalleled 12.
The two-time Olympian (2012 and 2016), from Somwarpet in Coorg, was a key player in the Indian forward line for over a decade with fine performances.
India's ace forward SV Sunil and midfielder Manpreet Singh have been ruled out of the upcoming Asian Champions Trophy due to their respective injuries. While Sunil still carries the wrist injury from Rio Olympics during India's encounter against Canada, Manpreet has recently picked up a groin injury. "Manpreet's is a repeated groin injury. Though it is manageable at this stage, it should not become chronic hence we decided to keep him back here for rehabilitation. Sunil and Raghunath (who is recovering from an elbow injury) will also be in SAI while the team is away in Malaysia," confirmed Chief Coach Roelant Oltmans.
Veteran midfielder Sardar Singh was on Friday dropped from India's 18-member squad for next month's Hockey World League Final, while the fit-again Rupinder Pal Singh and Birendra Lakra made comebacks.
The list of core probables of the senior men's hockey team has been pruned down to 33 from 48 after a three-day selection trials held at the SAI Centre, Bangalore from July 25-27.
A 24-strong team for the men's hockey series against Japan was announced on Thursday, following a week-long preparatory camp held at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, that commenced on April 22.
Experienced drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh returned to India's men's hockey team, which also features debutant Jaskaran Singh, for the tour of Australia, starting May 10.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday
Varun Kumar converted a penalty corner in the 24th minute to hand India the lead before Simranjeet Singh (55th) scored a diving field goal from skipper Manpreet Singh's brilliant pass to secure full three points for the five-time champions.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances