Hangzhou, 30th September, 2023: Hockey India on Saturday congratulated Indian Men’s Hockey Team forward Lalit Kumar Upadhyay for earning his 150th International Cap. Lalit, who hails from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, achieved the feat during India’s match at the ongoing 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 against Pakistan.
~The forward achieved the milestone during India’s match against Pakistan in Hangzhou~
India have been unbeaten so far at the ongoing 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, winning their first game 16-0 against Uzbekistan, winning 16-1 against Singapore in their second match, and then beating Japan 4-2 in a thrilling encounter. The Indian Men’s Hockey Team will lock horns against arch-rivals Pakistan on 30th September 2023 and then will be up against Bangladesh on 2nd October 2023.
Lalit made his India debut at the 2014 Hockey World Cup. He was part of the squad that won the 2016 Men’s Asian Champions Trophy and played a key role in India’s 2017 Asia Cup victory, scoring as many as four goals.
Lalit was also part of the Indian team that won the Bronze medal at the Odisha Men’s Hockey World League Final Bhubaneswar 2017 and the Silver medal at the FIH Men’s Champions Trophy 2018. The 29-year-old’s consistent performances have seen him become a mainstay in the Indian team’s success in recent years. He was a part of the team that won the Bronze Medal at the 2018 Asian Games, and Gold Medal at the Men’s Asian Champions Trophy 2018. Lalit also featured for India at the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup Odisha 2018 and in 2023. Lalit has to his credit an Olympic Bronze Medal and a Commonwealth Games Silver Medal. He was also a crucial part of the Indian squad that came third at the FIH Pro League 2021-22.
Speaking on the milestone, Lalit said, “I feel honoured to have represented India for almost a decade now and earning my 150th International Cap will always be a special memory for me. I will always give my best each time I get the opportunity to don the Indian jersey. I would like to thank Hockey India, my teammates and the support staff for their constant support over the years.”
Congratulating Lalit Kumar Upadhyay on the accomplishment, Hockey India President Padma Shri Dr. Dilip Tirkey said, “I congratulate Lalit Kumar Upadhyay for earning his 150th International Cap. It is truly special and memorable for any player to wear the Indian Jersey and represent the country at an international tournament. Over the past few years, Lalit has proved his mettle with some phenomenal performances and I am sure that he will continue to make the country proud and add more accolades to his name going forward.”
India Men’s Hockey Team Results and Schedule:
24th September, 2023: India 16- 0 Uzbekistan
26th September, 2023: India 16-1 Singapore
28th September, 2023: India 4-2 Japan
30th September, 2023: India vs Pakistan at 1815 hrs IST
2nd October 2023, India Vs Bangladesh at 1315 hrs IST
The matches will be broadcast live on Sony Sports Network and live stream on Sony Liv.
HOCKEY INDIA TEAM PARTNERS
Odisha (India’s Best Kept Secret) – Major Team Partner
Sports Authority of India (SAI)
Shiv Naresh
About HOCKEY INDIA
HOCKEY INDIA (HI) is the governing body with exclusive mandate to direct and conduct all activities for both men and women’s hockey in India. It is recognized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Govt. of India as the sole body responsible towards promoting Hockey in India.
Headquartered in New Delhi, Hockey India was established on 20th May, 2009 and is affiliated to the International Hockey Federation (FIH), the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and Asian Hockey Federation (AHF).
Committed to the development of Hockey in the country, Hockey India with the assistance of Sports Authority of India and Department of Sports, Government of India, trains players at sub-junior, junior and senior level. The governing body engages in Coaching the coaches with International Standard certification programs, educates and equips technical officials and umpires to find a foothold in international arena, provides world-class infrastructure and International exposure for the players besides regular international competition. Hockey India has also pioneered in bringing top International hockey events to India such as the FIH Men’s World Cup in 2010 and 2018, FIH Champions Trophy in 2014, FIH Junior Men’s World Cup in 2016 and 2021, FIH Hockey World League Final in 2017. With its vision to popularize the game and constantly promote it, Hockey India brought the Indian Men’s Hockey Team into the top three in the world. Hockey India is also dedicated to getting the Indian Women’s Hockey Team into the top three in the world.
About ODISHA
Odisha – the Eastern State of India – is known for its love for Hockey and over the years it has evolved to be the Global Hub of Hockey. The State successfully hosted the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018, followed by the FIH Men’s Series Finals Bhubaneswar Odisha, FIH Olympic Qualifiers Odisha, and FIH Hockey Pro League 2020-21. Odisha has previously hosted the Champions Trophy 2014 and the Odisha Men’s Hockey World League Final Bhubaneswar 2017. Odisha also hosted the FIH Men’s Hockey Junior World Cup in 2021.
Kalinga Lancers, the team owned by the State, were the winners in the Hockey India League 2017. Taking a step further towards realising the dream of restoring the glory of Indian Hockey at the global level, the State is sponsoring the Indian Hockey Teams till 2033.
Odisha also hosted the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023.
