Playing their first international match after 12 months, Indian Men Hockey Team, led by goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, outclassed hosts Germany 6-1 in the first of their four-match Europe Tour in Krefeld (Germany) today. Mid-fielder Vivek Sagar Prasad was the chief architect of the India win, scoring twice within one minute.

World No 4 India will next meet World No 6 Germany at the same venue on March 2. The 22-member Indian team, featuring three players from Odisha, will now travel to Antwerp (Belgium) where they are scheduled to play against Great Britain team on March 6 and 8. The three Odisha players are: defenders Birendra Lakra, Amit Rohidas and Dipsan Tirkey.

INDIAN MEND TEAM: Goalkeepers: PR Sreejesh (Captain), Krishan Bahadur Pathak. Defenders: Amit Rohidas, Dipsan Tirkey, Gurinder Singh, Harmanpreet Singh (Vice-captain), Surender Kumar, Jarmanpreet Singh, Birendra Lakra. Midfielders: Chinglensana Singh, Nilakanta Sharma, Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Rajkumar Pal, Simranjeet Singh, Shamsher Singh, Akashdeep Singh. Forwards: Gurjant Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay.
Coaches & Support Staff: Graham Reid (Chief Coach), Gregg Clark (Analytical Coach), Piyush Kumar Dubey (Coach), Robin Anthony Webster Arkell (Scientific Advisor), Ashok Kumar C (Video Analyst), Arup Naskar (Masseur).

RESULTS:
28 Feb, 2021: India (Nilakanta Sharma 13, Vivek Sagar Prasad 27, 28; Lalit Kumar Upadhyay 41, Akashdeep Singh 42, Harmanpreet Singh 47) beat Germany (Constantin Staib 14) 6-1.
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PHOTO: Odisha defender Dipsan Tirkey in action during the first match of Indian Senior Men Team against Germany in Krefeld on 28 February, 2021.