NEW DELHI: M.K. Kaushik, who guided India to the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games gold medal, was named the Chief Coach of the Indian men’s hockey team on Wednesday. The ad-hoc selection committee chose Harender Singh, Ramandeep Singh and Romeo James to assist Kaushik in coaching the team till the 2010 Asian Games.
A.K. Bansal was made the Chief Coach of the junior national side till the junior World Cup next year. Rajesh Chauhan and Clarence Lobo will be his deputies.
Selection committee chairman Ajitpal Singh said: “We have selected the coaches, now it’s up to them to decide and find out a smooth way to operate.”
Probables selected
Meanwhile, the selection committee, comprising Ashok Kumar, Aslam Sher Khan, Zafar Iqbal and Dhanraj Pillay, picked 48 probables for the coaching camps for the World Cup, Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games.
With the emphasis on giving younger players a chance, veteran defender Dilip Tirkey was left out of the list.
However, experienced campaigners Arjun Halappa and Vikram Pillay staged a comeback after a long time.
On Tirkey’s omission, Ajitpal said: “The probables were selected on their performance in domestic and international competitions, including the junior Asia Cup and Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. Keeping in mind the 2010 events and the 2012 Olympics, many youngsters were included. But any senior player who proves his fitness can make a comeback. In defence, we have players like Sandeep Singh, Diwakar Ram and Raghunath.”
Kaushik said the list of probables could change. “A players’ list has been given to me. If Dilip’s name is not there, it does not mean that it’s the end of the road for him.”
The probables: Goalkeepers: Adrian D’Souza, Baljeet Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Shreejesh P.R., Bharat Chetri. Full backs: William Xalxo, Sandeep Singh, V. Raghunath, Diwakar Ram, Innocent Kullu, Manjeet Kullu, Samir Baxla, Tasveerjeet Singh. Midfielders: Gurbaj Singhj, Vikram Pillay, Prabodh Tirkey, Sardar Singh, Ranjeet Singh, Birender Lakra, Ravi Pal Singh, Amardeep Ekka, Vikas Pillay, Cheeyanna, Vikas Sharma, Vivek, Irshad Ali, Koushalender, Senthil. Forwards: Tushar Khandekar, Shivendra Singh, Rajpal Singh, Arjun Halappa, Prabhjot Singh, Roshan Minz, Birinder Lakra, Gurvinder Singh Chandi, Hari Prasad, S.V. Sunil, Gurvinder Singh, Jagwant Singh, Pramod Kumar, Sarvanjit Singh, Mandip Antil, Osafur Rahman, Mazhar Kamal, Mohd Taj, Aldin D’Souza, Sunil Sonkar.