A question for every answer
Uthra G Chaturvedi
Michael Jack Nobbs, on Tuesday, got the 18 players he would lead into his first tournament as Indian hockey’s new coach. And if the list of those who have made the cut for the inaugural Asian Champions Trophy in Ordos, China, next month (September 3-11) is anything to go by, the selectors and the coach seem confused on chalking the path ahead.
While some of the senior players have been left out because of injuries there are others whose selection — or exclusion, as the case may be — merits more questions than answers. Rajpal Singh was recalled after he missed the Azlan Shah tournament and the first part of training camp through injury and was also handed back the captaincy. Drag-flicker Sandeep Singh and defender Sardar Singh, two of the five ‘rebel players’ issued show-cause notices by Hockey India, have also been included.
“The team was selected on the basis of form and fitness. But this is not an exhaustive list. The doors are not closed on anyone. I admit we are not going with our best team to Ordos but we are trying to give a chance to some youngsters to test them so that we have a big enough pool for the qualifiers,” Nobbs told The Indian Express.
However, if form and fitness were the sole criteria, the likes of Vikas Pillay, Kothajit Singh, Adrian D’Souza, Mandeep Antil and Banmali Xess should have made the cut. Instead, striker Sarwanjit Singh is part of the squad despite his lack of fitness and his horror-run that stretches back to the World Cup last year. The case of selectors preferring Ignace, struggling with heel injury for the last two years, over younger brother Prabodh is equally baffling.
Interestingly, exercise physiologist David John — who was supposed to take the final call regarding fitness of the players — reached the camp only late on Tuesday night after the list was already finalised. In his absence, HI selectors AB Subbaiah, BP Govinda and Col Balbir Singh alongwith government observers Dilip Tirkey and Harbinder Singh made the decision.
The selection for the tournament, as per the joint agreement signed by HI and the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), required representatives from both parties but that too didn’t happen, upsetting the latter.
Double standards?
Hockey India, meanwhile, has allowed 11 players from the camp to attend a felicitation ceremony in Hyderabad on Wednesday and skip a day’s practice. The players are being given their promised rewards for the 2007 Asia Cup victory by a private company.
“Well, they will have to work doubly hard when they return,” was all Nobbs said. Interestingly, HI had reacted strongly and looked to ban the five players who had skipped one day of practice for attending a promotional event for the World Series of Hockey (WSH).
Anjum named captain
Meanwhile, veteran Saba Anjum will lead the 17-member squad for the women’s competition to be held simultaneously. The squad was named after trials at Bhopal. Besides India, the other three teams are China, South Korea and Japan.
Squads
Men: Goalkeepers: Bharat Chhetri, PR Sreejesh; defenders: Sandeep Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh, Harpreet Singh; midfielders: Sardar Singh, Gurbaj Singh, Ignace Tirkey, Manpreet Singh, Manjit Kullu; forwards: Rajpal Singh, Danish Mujtaba, Sarwanjit Singh, SV Sunil, Ravi Pal, Gurvinder Singh Chandi, Roshan Minz, Yuvraj Walmiki.
Women: Goalkeepers: Yogita Bali, Savita; defenders: Joydeep Kaur, Jaspreet Kaur, Th Pinki Devi; midfielders: Ritu Rani, Asunta Lakra, Kirandeep Kaur, Mukta Prava Barla, Deepika, Kiran Dahiya; forwards: Saba Anjum, Jaspreet Kaur Handa, Poonam Rani, Vandana Kataria, Rani Rampal, Th Anuradha Devi, Soundarya Yendala.
The Omissions
Adrian D’Souza: Still considered as one of the best goalkeepers in the world but failed to find favour, even as a standby. William Xalxo: Has recovered to full fitness and during the camp, was among the most agile. Vikram and Vikas Pillay: The brothers are not just the linkmen; they have been the spine of the Indian team for the past one year. Vikram still boasts of superior fitness (as certified by the tests conducted) but has been shown the door.
The injured
Arjun Halappa, Tushar Khandker, Shivendra Singh, Bharat Chhikara, Dharamvir Singh