The Hindu : Sport : Team selection on expected lines

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Aug 07, 2007
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Sport

Team selection on expected lines

S. Thyagarajan

Chennai: It has never been easy to pinpoint the rationale behind the selection of national hockey teams in recent years. Shuffling is endemic, pushing any analyst to the edge of despair. There is nothing surprising therefore in the 18 picked for the forthcoming Asia Cup, starting here on September 1, that would trigger many raised eyebrows. The focus, paradoxically, is again on the drag-flicker.

Sandeep Singh slips out on fitness factors, and Raghunath slides in after being sidelined for the Champions Challenge. It is a pity that Raghunath is shunted in and out despite proving his credentials more than once.

Too brief a return

Sandeep’s much hyped-up return after the bullet injury last year was too brief to prompt even a trace of confidence.

His form was abysmally poor at Boom, especially in the key match against Argentina, the ultimate winner of the Cup.

Three of the four make a return to the national squad. The new face is Suresh in the frontline. While there may be some logic in the recall of Ignace Tirkey and Raghunath, it is difficult to justify the case of Jaswinder Singh.

Whether he will prove superfluous in the mid-field and deep defence is a question to be answered once the event begins. Clearly, the stress of the chief coach, Carvalho, is on framing a tight mid-field that would enhance the power of attack.

While wing-half Gurbaj and pivot Bimal Lakra will be the fulcrum, the idea of packing the line with three left-half players, Prabodh Tirkey, Ignace Tirkey and Jaswinder Singh defies the concept of balance. It may be argued that Jaswinder will figure as the fourth full-back.

Adrian D’Souza and Baljit Singh retain their places, pushing probably the equally competent Bharat Chetri to the sidelines. On the basis of performance, Adrian, the Olympian, needs to show noticeable improvement than what was seen of him at Boom.

Raghunath will definitely bolster the deep defence than what Sandeep did in the earlier event. The solidity however stems from the experience of Dilip Tirkey and the expertise of Xalco.

The frontline remains almost intact. The decision to drop Damandeep Singh was inevitable considering his poor form, but the induction of untested Suresh is a gamble.

A dribbler in the class of V. Raja could have been given a look in. The trio of Rajpal, Prabhjot and Roshan Minz can be devastating if only Shivendra comes in with a striking performance.In the two tournaments this year, he has been very inconsistent and failed to live up to his known potential. Sardara Singh elicits a special attention. No other player in the squad has shown his measure of confidence and skill in the two earlier tournaments.

To say he may be the trump card as the link man in the team will be an exaggeration. His comprehension and the ability to pick the gaps for his through passes were the highlights of the team’s performances at Ipoh and Boom.

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