Indian men’s hockey coach Paul van Ass repeatedly stressed that tightening the team’s defence was one of his priorities since he took charge. Almost the entire training session on Wednesday evening was devoted to trying out every possible combination, concentrating on action from midfield.
That was also one of the reasons why, when the final team list for the Hockey World League semifinals was announced earlier in the day, the first name that was conspicuous by its absence was that of Rupinder Pal Singh.
The lanky defender had been a constant with the national side in the past few years, and his absence triggered assumptions that van Ass’s famed ruthlessness was already at work. The Dutchman, however, refuted the suggestion.
“He is not gone; he has done nothing wrong. But we also have to be prepared for such things. When the Olympics come and we have two drag-flickers injured, what do we do then? Also, we have young Jasjit Kular, who is good with variations,” van Ass said, defending the decision.
It wasn’t just about testing the backups, though. “We have to cope with a drag-flicker less, but I also play differently. I require some more athleticism in that position. I think Jasjit is a good player, good on his feet, a good passer, quick and secure. He also brings in options from penalty corners, and I have liked him from the beginning,” the coach added.
The 18-member list has V.R. Raghunath as the lone drag-flicker in the side, and he admitted it was a new challenge. “I will be taking maximum shots when I am in. Else, we will try variations from indirect shots. It is a challenge for us as a team, but we are taking it in a positive way. We still have almost four weeks to go, so there is enough time for us to prepare. It is nice to experiment in these tournaments and take some risks because we have already qualified for Rio,” Raghunath said.
Asked about the areas he had been working on with the team ahead of the HWL semifinals — to be held in Antwerp, Belgium from June 20 — van Ass said the team was working on controlling the game during matches.
Youngsters like Lalit Upadhyay and Yuvraj Walmiki have been rewarded for their impressive performances during the recent Test series against Japan. India is placed in Pool A along with France, Poland, Pakistan and Australia in the 10-team tournament that is also a qualifying event for the Rio Olympics. China, Ireland, Malaysia, Great Britain and Belgium are in Pool B.
The team: Goalkeepers: P.R. Sreejesh, Harjot Singh; Defenders: Manpreet Singh, Birendra Lakra, Kothajit Singh, V.R. Raghunath, Jasjit Singh Kular, Gurmail Singh; Midfielders: Gurbaj Singh, Dharamvir Singh, Sardar Singh, Chinglensana Singh, Lalit Upadhyay; Forwards: S.V. Sunil, Nikkin Thimmaiah, Yuvraj Walmiki, Akashdeep Singh, Ramandeep Singh.