India chase hat-trick of Azlan Shah titles

Battling with a spate of injuries and non-selection of two star players — Sandeep Singh and Sardara Singh — double defending champions India will seek to complete a hat-trick of titles at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament that begins here tomorrow.

Five-time gold medallists at the Azlan Shah Cup, India were adjudged joint winners along with South Korea last year when the final was disrupted by bad weather. The Indians had earlier won the cup outright in 2009, and they currently share the tournament record of five titles with Australia, who are seeking to test their new crop of players ahead of next year’s London Olympics.

The seven-nation round-robin tournament, which will end with a title showdown on May 15 between the top two placed teams, also features Pakistan, Asian Games silver medallists Malaysia, Great Britain, South Korea and New Zealand. — PTI