Six Indians in Asian All Stars hockey team
NEW DELHI: Past masters of the game, India got recognition for playing some good hockey in last month’s Asian Games in Guangzhou, China with as many as six of its players making it to the Asian All Stars team.
Ace drag-flicker, Sandeep Singh shared the honours with captain Rajpal Singh, midfielder Arjun Halappa and defender Gurbaj Singh in the men’s category while in the women’s section defender Joydeep Kaur and 16-year-old striker Rani Rampal made the cut, according to a Hockey India release.
The All Star team was selected recently by the Asian Hockey Federation based on the performance of the Guangzhou Games, where the Indian men’s team won a bronze medal but the eves missed out on the podium, finishing fourth.
The two teams selected by the Asian Hockey Federation are as under:
Men:
Goalkeepers: Kumar Subramaniam ( Malaysia), Salman Akbar ( Pakistan)
Defenders: Md. Razie (Malaysia), Sandeep Singh (India), Gurbaj Singh (India), Hu Huiren (China)
Midfielders: Yeo Woon Kon (Korea), Lee Nam Yong (Korea), Tsuvouchi Kazuhiro (Japan), Ozawa Kazuyuki (Japan), Arjun Halappa (India), Rashid Muhammad (Pakistan)
Forwards: Rajpal Singh (India), Seo Jongho (Korea), Jang Jong Hyun (Korea), Tenku Abdul Rahid Jalil (Malaysia), Rehan Butt (Pakistan), Na Yubo (China)
Women:
Goalkeepers: Zhang Yimeng (China), Lee Seon OK (Korea) Defenders: Ma Yibo (China), Li Shuang (China), Joydeep Kaur (India), Mayumi Ono (Japan), Irina Dobrioglo ( Kazakhstan) Ratnaporn Shangpranam ( Thailand)
Midfielders: Song Quingling (China), Park Seonmi (Korea), Kim Darae (Korea), Yukari Yamamoto (Japan), Nadia Abdul Rehman (Malaysia)
Forwards: Zhao Yudiao (China), Fu Baorong (China), Park Mi Hyun (Korea), Rani (India), Kaori Chiba (Japan).