Captaincy issue is a closed chapter, says Harendra
National coach Harendra Singh said the captaincy issue would not affect the team’s performance in the World Cup. Rajpal Singh was retained skipper of the World Cup squad but majority of the players, besides chief coach Jose Brasa, favoured Prabhjot Singh for the job. Harendra said the entire issue was now a “closed chapter” and added that there was no more a division in the team. “At this stage it (captaincy) is a closed chapter. If anyone has any problem, Brasa and I will discuss the matter with the authorities concerned,” he said.
Harendra said he had a chat with both Prabhjot and Rajpal on the issue and things were fine again. “Yesterday, I talked to Prabhjot and Rajpal and tried to convince them. So far there is no division in the team. I expect a very good result in the World Cup, considering the effort put in by the boys,” Harendra said.
With three big events — World Cup, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games — lined up this year, Harendra was of the view that 2010 came as a blessing for the national game: “2010 is a make-or-break year for Indian hockey. We have three important tournaments.”