Indian mid-fielder Vikram Pillay.
The Indian Hockey campaign for the Games has suffered a setback with skipper Dilip Tirkey and goalkeeper Adrian D'Souza opting out of the squad.
But in naming their 16-man squad, the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) has recalled strikers Gagan Ajit Singh and Deepak Thakur, along with central midfielder Viren Rasquinha who were rested for a tough six match series against Pakistan.
India finished fourth in their only appearance in the Games Hockey competition, at Kuala Lumpur in 1998. They did not compete in the 2002 Manchester Games.
Tirkey, a 29-year-old dependable full back, has cited a nagging injury problem for pulling out, and keeper D'Souza has been ruled out due to hamstring injury.
D'Souza place has been taken by goalkeeper Baljeet Singh.
An unpopular performance in the bilateral series, which they lost 3-1 to Pakistan, forced the IHF to reconsider their decision and go back to some of the old performers, leaving only a short time to fine-tune the cohesiveness and rhythm of the squad.
The Indian men's Hockey team for the Games is:
Goalkeepers: Bharat Kumar Chetri, Baljit Singh.
Full backs: Kanwalpreet Singh, Harpal Singh, Sandeep Singh.
Mid-fielders: Vikram Pillay, Ignace Tirkey, Prabodh Tirkey, Viren Rasquinha.
Forwards: Rajpal Singh, Didar Singh, Sardara Singh, Tushar Khandekar, Tejbir Singh, Arjun Halappa, Deepak Thakur.
Chief coach: Rajinder Singh, Coach: Clarence Lobo, Physical trainer: Sampath Kumar, Physio: Ravi Kanakamedala, Manager: Umesh Kumar.
India will face Malaysia in their Games opener, followed by matches against Pakistan, Trinidad and Tobago and South Africa. The other pool includes Olympic and Commonwealth champions Australia, New Zealand, England, Canada and Ireland.
The Commonwealth Games Hockey competition hits off at the State Netball and Hockey Centre from 16 – 26 March.
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