No place for Adrian in core group of 36

The core hockey group for the London Olympics has been all but spotted. The 48-strong list of probables at the SAI South Centre were on Thursday pruned to 36, with 12 players including ace goalkeeper Adrian D’Souza being shown the door.

Of the 36, six are on the injured list and will undergo rehab with excerise physiologist David John.

The injured players include former skipper Arjun Halappa, Vikram Pillay, Dharamvir Singh, Bharat Chhikara, Tushar Khandker and Shivendra Singh.

While it was expected that a few of the players would not figure in the 30, the exclusion of D’Souza has come as a huge sur prise. Another exclusion which is just as baffling as his inclusion in the camp to begin with is baffling is 33-year-old Amar Aiyamma.

The other players who eased out of the camp on the day are Prabodh Tirkey, Banmali Xess, Vikas Pillay, Kothajit, Vickramkanth, Diwakar Ram, Ajitesh Roy, William Xalxo and Bikash Toppo.

Ace forward Shivendra who has been out of action for the past two months due to a collarbone fracture sustained during the nationals in June reported to the camp on Thursday to undergo rehab.

“I am happy to be back in the camp. I will have to work to get rid of the stiffness around my left shoulder.

“It will take at least three weeks to get back to normal. Then there will be at least three months of rehabilitation. The entire programme will be worked out by David John,” he said.

With Indian hockey already weighed down by the spectre of groupism, allegations of favouritism and the lack of unity and trust among the players, the going is surely be tough.