New Delhi, Feb 18 – Angad Bir Singh, a forward for the Indian men’s hockey team, has been selected for the 24-member Indian squad for the Hobart leg of the 2025-26 FIH Pro League, marking his return to international competition after nearly a year. He last played for the senior team during the 2024-25 FIH Pro League season in Bhubaneswar.
This upcoming series will also be Angad’s first international assignment with the Indian men’s hockey team, following months of consistent training and preparation.
The 23-year-old attacker expressed his excitement about representing India again, stating, “I am very excited for this opportunity because I have been training for a long time and waiting for my chance. When the opportunity finally came, it made me very happy. Now I just want to prove myself and play well for India.”
Angad also emphasized the importance of the team’s preparation, stating, “Our preparation has been very good since the national camp in India. Training sessions have been designed keeping Australia and Spain in mind because they play a strong man-to-man style. The intensity has been high, and we are focusing a lot on fitness and match readiness.”
Despite a challenging performance by the Indian team in the recent FIH Pro League leg in Rourkela, Angad emphasized that the squad remains focused and positive.
“Everyone has tough phases, but our focus is to stay positive and maintain our standards. Our target is to win all four matches here. We are concentrating on our performance rather than past results,” he added.
Angad also highlighted that adapting to the conditions in Australia has been relatively smooth due to familiar weather. “The weather here is very comfortable and quite similar to Bengaluru — neither too hot nor too cold — which has made it easier for us to adjust quickly and focus fully on our training and preparations,” he said.
During his time away from the Indian team, Angad remained part of the national training group in Bengaluru and also played for India A in various exposure tours, thus working closely with coaches to improve specific aspects of his game.
His performances in the recent Hockey India League 2025-26, where he lifted the trophy with Vedanta Kalinga Lancers, also played a key role in earning his recall, with the coaching staff acknowledging his progress.
Talking about his playing position, Angad revealed that he prefers operating as a striker, where he can utilise his pace and attacking instincts.
“I like playing as a striker or winger because I can use my speed, attack aggressively and create penalty corners for the team. That is one of my strengths, and I want to contribute in the same way for India,” he stated.
For the upcoming matches, the youngster has set clear personal objectives. “My goal is to help the team by earning more penalty corners and making as few mistakes as possible. This is the beginning of my journey, and I want to gain experience while contributing to the team’s success.”
Angad credited senior teammates and experienced international players for helping him grow both on and off the field.