HI fixes another date to complete interviews for coaches’ post

NEW DELHI: Hockey India’s (HI) development committee on Sunday completed its two-day screening of candidates for the coach’s job and a host of other positions with the men and women’s national teams.

With some of the candidates failing to turn up due to work, the committee headed by former international Pargat Singh decided to give them another chance and has asked them to appear on Feb 6 for interviews.

A number of former players including Jugraj Singh and Mukesh Kumar, and national coach Harendra Singh, who quit after India’s Asian Games loss, appeared before the interview panel in the two-day hectic schedule.

Dhanraj Pillay, who has also thrown his hat for the coaching job, did not show up.

The committee will short-list a full coaching team of seven-members each for the men women’s teams and for the two junior teams.

Apart from a chief coach, two assistant coaches and one goalkeeping coach, the committee also held interviews for posts of a doctor, trainer and physiotherapist for the teams.

Another round of interviews to select the foreign coach for the men and women’s team will be held soon before a final call is taken. The committee will then recommend the names of the short-listed candidates to the Sports Authority of India ( SAI).

HI secretary-general Narinder Batra and Sukhvir Singh Grewal, the director for coaching and development, were also present during the interview.