The “best available” team was picked to represent India at the Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament to be held at Ipoh, Malaysia from May 5 to 15. The team leaves on April 29 under the captaincy of Arjun Halappa.
The team was finalised on Tuesday at the end of the two-day trials held at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.
The emphasis, explained National selector Col. Balbir Singh, was on preparing the team for the Olympics qualifiers early next year.
“We have identified the core group and want to focus on providing some of the youngsters the best exposure. The ultimate aim is to qualify for the Olympics. “We have to boost the morale of the players and keep them secure for the Olympics,” he said.
Balbir was part of the committee that included B.P. Govinda, Syed Ali, Manohar Topno and Thoiba Singh. The two government nominees were Harbinder Singh and Dilip Tirkey.
Halappa observed, “The build up of the team is very important. At the last Azlan Cup too we had a practically new team. You can't expect good results overnight.
“Certain hurdles like injuries are not in our control and we have to make the best of what is available.”
In coach Harendra Singh's opinion, it was a “highly competitive” combination. “We have used the best available resources and I must say they (selectors) have done a fair job.
“We have been transparent and not tried to hide any injuries or sweep issues like fitness under the carpet. There is no pressure from anywhere. We want to give each player space to perform,” said the coach.
According to Harendra, teams like Australia, Korea, England and New Zealand would be at “full strength” at the Azlan Shah Cup and it would be an ideal platform to assess India's bench strength.
On the training camp, Harendra noted that the players had gained from the improved facilities. “We would miss some key players because they are injured. Once they recover fully, some of them would take their place.”
On the exclusion of V.S. Vinay, the coach said, “We have been blooding some youngsters because this is the time to groom them. Vinay lacks in fitness in comparison.”
Harendra was optimistic of Dhananjay Mahadik, Rupinder Singh and Diwakar Ram raising their game as the key defenders in times to come.
“Diwakar has proved his credentials in the domestic circuit. Rupinder excelled during the European tour and the last Azlan Cup. Dhanajay is good in direct and indirect penalty corner conversions. His fitness is very good. They have enough experience to deliver.”
The coach said that Rajpal Singh had a lower abdominal injury that required complete rest and strengthening of the muscles. “He is one of the crucial players and we want him at his best,” Harendra stressed.
The team has engagements in China and Australia ahead of the Champions Trophy (from Dec 3 to 11 in Delhi) and the Olympics qualifiers in February.
In China the team plays in the Asian Champions Trophy followed from a four-nation tournament in Australia where Pakistan and New Zealand complete the line up.
The team: Arjun Halappa (captain), Bharat Kumar Chetri, Adrian D'Souza; Dhananjay Mahadik, Rupinder Pal Singh, Diwakar Ram; Gurbaj Singh, Vikas Pillay, Vikram Pillay, Ravi Pal, Danish Mujtaba, Vikas Sharma; Shivendra Singh, S.V. Sunil, Mandeep Antil, Sarvanjeet Singh, Gurwinder Singh Chandi and Roshan Minz.
Standbys : P.R. Sreejesh, William Xalxo, Gurjinder Singh, Birendra Lakra, Preetinder Singh and Bikas Toppo.
