Meet Odisha’s First-Time World Cupper Nilam Sanjeep Xess; Who Are The Other Debutants?

Bhubaneswar: The captain and his deputy have changed – from Manpreet Singh and Chinglensana Singh Kangujam in the 2018 Men’s Hockey World Cup to Harmanpreet Singh and Odisha’s Amit Rohidas for the upcoming edition of the World Cup.

But there is a familiar look to the Graham Reid-coached 2023 side, with as many as 12 players from the 2018 team retaining their berths.

Goalkeepers Krishan Bahadur Pathak and PR Sreejesh, along with defenders Amit Rohidas, the local boy, Harmanpreet, Varun Kumar and Surender Kumar set for a second consecutive World Cup on Odisha soil.

The other six who will be making repeat appearances are midfielders and forwards Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Akashdeep Singh, Mandeep Singh and Lalit Kumar Upadhyay.

The men in blue, who claimed a bronze in the Tokyo Olympics a year and a half ago, will have six World Cup debutants, including Odisha defender Neelam Sanjeep Xess.

KNOW INDIA’S WORLD CUP HOCKEY DEBUTANTS

Nilam Sanjeep Xess (34 Internationals caps, 6 goals)

Born in a family of peasants, Nilam Sanjeep from Sundargarh’s Kaduabahal village overcame the odds and difficulties to establish himself as a talented defender. He steadily rose through the ranks after helping Odisha clinch the Junior National title in 2015 and 2016. The same year, he forced his way into the Odisha senior team, which finished third in the Senior Nationals.

He didn’t have to wait long for his international breakthrough, and made an immediate impact. As a 17-year-old, Nilam Sanjeep was part of the Indian team that won silver in the South Asian Games in 2016 and also led the country to the Asia Cup U-18 title in Bangladesh.

A member of the Indian team that won the Olympic Test Event at Tokyo in August 2019, Nilam Sanjeep failed to make the cut for 2020 Olympics (held in 2021) after missing out on the 2018 home World Cup too. He had to wait his turn as statemates Birendra Lakra and Amit Rohidas were regulars in the India backline. Now that Birendra has called it a day, Nilam Sanjeep has filled the vacuum and will be eager to excel in what will be his first major tournament, that too in front of his home crowd.

Jarmanpreet Singh (50 International caps, 6 goals)

Touted as a talented defender, the teenager was picked by Punjab Warriors for the 2015 Hockey India League. Unfortunately, he tested positive for norandrosterone during the tournament. Before his career could take off, Jarmanpreet was banned for 2 years.

He didn’t lose heart and kept working on his game, coming out stronger after the ban ended in 2017. He caught the attention of Hockey India’s high performance director David John and made his international debut at the 2018 Champions Trophy in Breda, Netherlands, where India won silver.

He played a part in India’s silver-winning performance at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, but Odisha 2023 is set to provide him the biggest stage.

Shamsher Singh (47 International caps, 10 goals)

The 25-year-old from Attari in Punjab’s Amritsar district made his international debut in the Olympic Test Event at Tokyo in 2019. A versatile forward who can play in midfield as well, is highly regarded by chief coach Graham Reid who says Shamsher is an ‘Australian style’ of player – ‘strong on the ball, fast and very smart’.

Son of a farmer, the budding hockey player faced hardships as it wasn’t easy for the family to buy sticks and a good pair of shoes for Shamsher. But the family kept backing him, and once Shamsher got an entry to the Surjit Singh Hockey Academy in Jalandhar, focusing on his favourite game became easier.

The Punjab National Bank employee’s dream came true when he was selected for the Tokyo Olympics. The Olympic bronze is a prized possession, as is the silver from last year’s Birmingham Commonwealth Games. The next target will surely be a World Cup medal, ideally the yellow metal.

Vivek Sagar Prasad (90 International caps, 16 goals)

The second-youngest player to make his India debut at the age of 17 years, 10 months and 22 days, he made his presence felt on the big stage of the 2018 Champions Trophy in The Netherlands. The midfielder from Madhya Pradesh scored the equaliser in the final against Australia, before India lost in the penalty shootout.

He’s been more or less a permanent fixture in the Indian team over the last four years, boasting an Olympic bronze (Tokyo), Asian Games bronze (Jakarta) and Commonwealth Games silver (Birmingham). A medal at the World Cup will further enrich his CV at the young age of 22.

Abhishek (28 International caps, 11 goals)

The 23-year-old made his international debut in February 2022, in the FIH Pro League. A forward, Abhijeet was part of the silver-winning Commonwealth Games team in Birmingham six months ago.

Born in Haryana’s Sonipat, the Punjab National Bank employee will relish playing in Odisha as he knows the conditions well. The Kalinga Stadium, especially will be familiar territory for the youngster as he scored 4 goals in the FIH Pro League last year.

Sukhjeet Singh (11 International caps, 3 goals)

The most inexperienced player in terms of international exposure, Sukhjeet’s India debut got delayed because of a back injury in 2018. He didn’t give up hope and finally played for India in the FIH Pro League last year.

Though India lost the match 3-5 to Spain, Sukhjeet scored a fine goal on debut and will have fond memories of the Kalinga Stadium.