Summary:
Ahead of the Indian Men's Team crucial FIH Olympic Qualifier matches against Russia on 1 and 2 November 2019 here at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium, Hockey India announced the replacement of defender-drag-flicker Varun Kumar who sustained an injury on his shoulder and right bicep. UPDATE: Ace Defender Birendra Lakra joins the 18-Member Indian Men's Hockey Squad, stepping in as a replacement for the injured Varun Kumar in the @FIH_Hockey Olympic Qualifiers Odisha!#IndiaKaGame #RoadToTokyo #Tokyo2020 #KalingaKallinghttps://t.co/YhVYqZHp02 — Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) October 30, 2019He will now be replaced by experienced defender Birender Lakra. “Varun Kumar injured his shoulder and right bicep on Monday while training. He has been receiving treatment since then but unfortunately, it has not shown enough signs of improvement,” explained Graham Reid, Chief Coach, Indian Men's Hockey Team. Hence, we have decided to replace him with Birendra Lakra, a class defender with over 170 International Caps..