Selectors take realistic and logical steps

S. Thyagarajan

Chennai: Hockey is back in the news. The IPL razzmatazz pushed worthy items in all other disciplines into an area of darkness.

Even as the countdown runs inscrutably for the May 31 deadline to complete the electoral process, the hockey administration keeps, notwithstanding its flawed credentials, the wheels moving when it comes to tournaments abroad. The team for the Azlan Shah tournament at Ipoh from May 6 fits into this category.

New-look squad

Giving the impression of being realistic and logical, the selectors have discarded a handful of seasoned players. They have consciously opted for a new look squad. To be precise, six players of the last World Cup team were put on the exit mode. Deepak Thakur and Prabhjot Singh were ignored even for trials.

More than picking the squad, the selectors have sent out a message of their reluctance to foreign coach, Jose Brasa, for giving him powers he sought in the matter of team selection. This is apparent in the directive that the selection of players for the matches should be discussed with the coaches (core committee?) attached to the squad.

One selector confided all that Brasa wanted were granted. But the result in the Delhi World Cup was disappointing. What Brasa wanted and what the committee conceded is a guessing game.

There is a filament of realism. The new stars deserve a look-in. They were waiting in the wings. The return of Bharat Chetri, as a replacement for the articulate Adrian D’Souza, is understandable. Adrian’s showing was below par in Delhi. Chetri and Sreejesh can make a good pair provided both get adequate matches to prove their worth.

The selectors have gambled in the area of deep defence. Sidelining Sandeep Singh is difficult to agree with. He led the team to a trophy triumph in the last edition at Ipoh. His record in the Azlan Shah event has been impressive.

Absence of big trio

That none of the three famous drag-flickers — Sandeep, Diwakar Ram and Raghunath — finds favour is surprising.

This puts enormous pressure on Mahadik, who is reckoned as a striker not a flicker in the class of Sandeep. The colts, Rupinder Pal Singh and Amit Prabhakar, are picked on the basis of their showing in SAF Games and “domestic tournaments.” Rupinder’s height is being projected as an additional advantage.

The mid-field is definitely strengthened by the return of Prabodh Tirkey, who was kept out of the World Cup for no convincing reasons. He is a veteran, and once found good enough to be the captain. The pillar in this area is Gurbaj Singh, perhaps the only consistent player in the last World Cup along with Bharat Chikkara.

That Tushar Khandekar is listed among the forwards is an indication that his agonising days as a mid-fielder convert are over. He was wasted in that zone.

Rajpal Singh will benefit a lot from the fluent runs of Tushar, the opportunism of Shivendra Singh and the crafty work of the old war horse Arjun Halappa. The composition of frontline is truly exciting as the mid-field.

If the new faces pull their weight in the away matches as anticipated then the results can be excellent. How well Brasa and Rajpal Singh handle these resources to enhance the power of the squad will be followed with interest.