Same faces at camp despite poor show
By Tushar Bhaduri
DESPITE a 12th- place finish at the London Olympics, not much is likely to change when the Indian hockey team plays next time, as 15 of the 16 players who featured at the Games have found a place in the fresh list of 48 probables released by the federation.
Only half- back Gurbaj Singh’s name is missing from the list which was prepared after the recent Hockey India Nationals held in Bangalore. The players will report for the national camp to be held at the Netaji Subhash National Institute of Sports in Patiala from next Monday.
India’s next assignment is the Lanco International Super Series ( November 22- 25) in Perth. The nine- a- side tournament, to feature England and Pakistan apart from India and hosts Australia, will be followed a week later by the FIH Champions Trophy ( December 1- 9) in Melbourne, where Michael Nobbs’s boys will be up against the elite teams in the men’s game.
“ Apart from Sardar Singh and, to some extent, PR Sreejesh, the performance of the whole squad at the London Olympics was very disappointing,” Balbir Singh, one of the selectors, told MAIL TODAY . “ We should have realistically finished seventh or eighth.” However, he was at a loss to explain why all but one of those players found a place again in the probables’ list, despite stating that there was a lot of talent coming through the system. There was no reason given as to what Gurbaj had done wrong to get the axe.
“ You have to ask Hockey India about that,” Balbir said.
When contacted, Hockey India secretary general Narinder Batra put the ball in the selectors’ court.
“ I don’t interfere in selection matters. The selectors have a free hand there,” Batra told MAIL TODAY . “ This is only the probables. May be, after discussion with chief coach Michael Nobbs and exercise physiologist David John, there could be some changes.” Nobbs and John are yet to return to India after going home to Australia after the London Olympics.
Apart from the 48 probables, there are nine standbys, all of whom are from the players who featured in the Indian Hockey Federation’s World Series Hockey ( WSH). “ Their participation in the camp will be subject to clearance from the relevant authorities. We had selected these players for the previous camp as well, but they chose to appear in the WSH,” Balbir said.
It is interesting that several players who went to the Olympics did not feature at the recent Nationals.
“ Skipper Bharat Chetri was not there, neither were some others like Gurvinder Singh Chandi and Dharamvir Singh. In the absence of the captain and the head coach, we are yet to discuss what went wrong at the Games,” the selector said.
“ We have the Hockey India League coming up in January- February. We may find some fresh talent there.” In the meantime, Balbir was not too optimistic about India’s prospects at the Champions Trophy.
They find themselves in the same pool as England, Germany and New Zealand. The other group features Australia, Belgium, Pakistan and the Netherlands.