Thimmaiah out, Talwinder in

Nikkin Thimmaiah was left out with a shoulder injury while the young forward Talwinder Singh found a spot as the Indian team for the Hockey World League Final, to be held in Raipur from November 27 to December 6, was announced here on Wednesday.

The 18-member squad, led by Sardar Singh, also includes Danish Mujtaba, who makes a comeback after being dropped for the New Zealand tour. Ahead of the HWL Final, the side will also play Australia in a three-match Test series from November 19 to 23 in Rajnandgaon and Raipur.

The team was chosen by Hockey India from the core group of 26, currently training at the National camp in Bengaluru.

The squad:

Goalkeepers: P.R. Sreejesh, Harjot Singh; Defenders: Birendra Lakra, Kothajit Singh, V. R. Raghunath, Jasjit Singh Kular, Rupinder Pal Singh. Midfielders: Sardar Singh, Chinglensana Singh Kangujam, Devinder Walmiki, Manpreet Singh, Dharamvir Singh, Danish Mujtaba; Forwards: S. V. Sunil, Ramandeep Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Lalit Upadhyay, Talwinder Singh.

The teams:

Pool A: Australia, Belgium, Great Britain, Canada;

Pool B: the Netherlands, Germany, Argentina, India. — Principal Correspondent