HI to dissolve selection committee, Dilip Tirkey appointed govt observer
Sandeep Narayan
Before Pargat Singh holds the all-important meeting of the Hockey Developmental Com-mittee on December 22, heads will have already start to roll in Hockey India as the former India captain and his team have planned to overhaul the entire selection committee and bring in some younger, fresher faces.
“We need some younger faces in the selection committee and have planned to dissolve the entire selection committee in the December 22 meeting,” a Hockey India official told Mirror.
“Many members of the current selection committee are still living in the stone age.
“They have absolutely no knowlege of the latest technological and scientific changes in the sport. Also in the past their egos have always clashed with the chief coach and they would always try and undermine the coach,” the official added.
In another move the Ministry of Sports has appointed former India captain Dilip Tirkey and Olympian Harbinder Singh as the new government observers, replacing the long-serving Ajit Pal Singh and Zafar Iqbal. In a letter from the Sports Ministry, a copy of which is with Mirror, Director (Sports) Deepika Kach-hal mentions that Tirkey and Harbinder will assume charge from January 1 of next year.
Tirkey’s new role
“We have always wanted Dilip to return to hockey as an administrator so this is a welcome move,” the official added. The member also said that one of the suggestions that would be put forth during the meeting is to ask some of the members of the new technical commitee to double up as selectors.
Some of the possible names include former India goalkeeper AB Subbaiah, left-winger Thoiba Singh and mid-fielder Mukesh Kumar.
“These players have retired in the last decade but are more than aware of the modern style of hockey. “They also know the players better and can identify the emerging talent.
This selection committee will be focused not just on selecting the current team but more on building a team for the future.”