Sandeep, Prabhjot, Deepak out of Azlan Shah squad
Drag-flicker Sandeep Singh and strikers Prabhjot Singh and Deepak Thakur were today dropped from the 18-member Indian squad for the Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia as selectors chose to infuse new blood in the side. Also missing from the squad to be captained by Rajpal Singh is another drag-flick specialist Diwakar Ram, as the selectors decided to give chance to some new players in the wake of India’s poor performance in the World Cup here last month.
Goalkeeper Adrian D’ Souza and striker Gurvinder Singh Chandi, who played in the World Cup, also failed to find a place in the squad for from May 6-16 event. The players were selected after a two-day trial at Balewadi, Pune, which ended yesterday.
The selection trials were attended by Hockey India selectors BP Govinda, Balbir Singh, Madhu Yadav and Sita Mehta and government observers Ajitpal Singh and Zafar Iqbal.
The Sqaud: Goalkeepers: Sreejesh PR, Bharat Chetri. Defenders: Sardar Singh, Dhananjay Mahadik, Amit Prabhakar, Rupinder Pal Singh. Midfielders: Gurbaj Singh, Ravi Pal Singh, Prabodh Tirkey, Bharat Chikara, Vikas Pillay, Danish Mujtaba. Forwards: Rajpal Singh (Capt), Tushar Khandker, Shivendra Singh, Mandip Antil, Arjun Halappa, Sarvanjit Singh. Standbys: Jaswinder Singh, Ajitesh Roy, Vikas Sharma, Bikas Toppo.
Officials: Jose Brasa (Head Coach); Harendra Singh (National Coach); Clarence Lobo (Coach); Gundeep Kumar (Coach) Match Schedule: May 6: India v China May 7: India v Pakistan May 9: India v South Korea May 10: India v Australia May 12: India v Malaysia May 15: India v Egypt May 16: 3-4 Position Playoff and Final. — PTI