Rajpal Singh to lead in World Cup- Coach jose Brasa, it appears, was in favour of making Prabhjot the captain

OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

New Delhi: Striker Rajpal Singh on Saturday was named to lead India in the 12-nation World Cup hockey to be played at the Major Dhyanchand Sports Complex here from February 28.

Though there were no major surprises in the 18-member squad, the decision of Hockey India (HI) to retain Rajpal as the captain raised some eyebrows.

The honour, some felt, should have gone to senior players like Arjun Halappa or Prabhjot Singh.

“Rajpal will only play his first World Cup,” said a senior member of the team on the condition of anonymity.

“Arjun Halappa has already played two World Cups and Prabhjot (Singh) played the previous one. The Hockey India selectors should have considered their cases,” he said.

Team sources also claimed that national coach Jose Brasa was in favour of making Prabhjot the captain but backed out after the five-member selection committee, comprising Ajitpal Singh, Zafar Iqbal, BP Govinda, Madhu Yadav and Sita Mehta, called for Rajpal’s appointment.

“The team members were even informed about Prabhjot’s appointment,” said the source. “We were truly surprised when the actual announcement came,” he added.

Brasa, when contacted by The Telegraph, said: “Please don’t get me wrong. I am not supposed to talk on selection matters.”

The captaincy issue has always created controversy in Indian hockey. In the 1968 Olympics, the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) appointed two captains to please two warring groups in the team. India failed to make the Olympic final for the first time in history in Mexico.

Rajpal, however, remained upbeat and said his team was going to do well in the World Cup. “We have been practising as a close knit team for the past few months and are sure to do well,” he said.

Pakistan, Australia, Spain, England and South Africa are the other teams in India’s group.

S.V. Sunil, who suffered a knee injury, has not been included in the squad. The team has two goalkeepers in Adrian D’Souza and PR Sreejesh, three defenders, six mid-fielders and seven forwards.

Ace drag flicker and former captain Sandeep Singh, who is recovering from an injury, has been included in the squad.

Apart from Rajpal, Shivendra Singh, Tushar Khandker, Prabhjot, Sarwanjit Singh, Deepak Thakur and Gurvinder Singh Chandi are the other forwards.