Indian Women Hockey Federation has dropped star striker Jasjeet Kaur from the Australia-bound team barely a day before the scheduled departure. Surprisingly, the IWHF did not find it worth to discuss the matter with the chief coach M.K. Kaushik, under whom India has recently won both Afro-Asian Games and significantly Asia Cup.
Jasjeet was one of the 18-member Indian women team that will leave India on Saturday (24th April) to play four test matches each against Australia and New Zealand starting from 28th. The team came to Delhi on Friday from Chandigarh, where they were undergoing a 3-week training. After the evening session training in National Stadium, in which the girls played against the Air India Academy boys, the IWHF Secretary informed the manager and the asst. coach that Jasjeet Kaur will not be part of the tour.
After reaching Delhi, Kaushik took a day off to attend a ceremony related to death of a close relative. On returning to Nehru Stadium in the night, where the team is put up, Kaushik came to know dropping of Jasjeet.
It is understood Jasjeet, who scored the winning goal in the final of the recent Asia Cup, suffered a minor injury in shin last week. A MRI scan was done in Chandigarh and then the coaches and the doctor involved, cleared her. It is not known why then the IWHF suddenly came to this decision. As usual there is no one to pick up phone in the one-woman IWHF to clarify the matter.
Kaushik expressed surprise and dismay on the sudden development. He felt Jasjeet was in top form and her absence would certainly affect the performance. He could not hide his disappointment when he said, “whatever the view of IWHF, am I so unimportant in maters such as this?”.
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