With five months to go for the Rio Olympics, Sardar Singh will lead an experimental 18-member Indian hockey squad for the upcoming 25th edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup to be held in Ipoh, Malaysi
With five months to go for the Rio Olympics, Sardar Singh will lead an experimental 18-member Indian hockey squad for the upcoming 25th edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup to be held in Ipoh, Malaysia, from April 6 to 16.
Hockey India’s selectors decided to rest seven senior players from the Hockey World League Final team.
In a move to test bench strength, young custodian Akash Chikte replaced P.R. Sreejesh even as midfielder S.K. Uthappa and the strike duo of Mandeep Singh and Nikkin Thimmaiah staged a comeback. Surender Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Harjeet Singh are the other new names.
The selectors left out striker Akashdeep Singh, midfielder Dharamvir Singh, drag-flicker V.R. Raghunath and defender Birendra Lakra. Devindar Walmiki and Lalit Upadahyay were the other two not selected. “India have a good record in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and we would like to keep it that way. It will be a good opportunity trying out new things and new combinations in the tournament to see if they work,” Sardar said in a statement.
Coach Roelant Oltmans said, “The boys have been working hard and are geared up for the tournament ahead. The Azlan Shah will be a good testing ground for us before the Rio Olympics.”
The men’s team are currently undergoing a training camp at the SAI, South Centre, here.
Team: Goalkeepers: Harjot Singh, Akash Chikte; Defenders: Rupinder Pal Singh, Jasjit Singh Kular, Kothajit Singh, Surender Singh, Harmanpreet Singh; Midfielders: Danish Mujtaba, Chinglensana Singh, Manpreet Singh, Sardar Singh (c), S.K. Uthappa, Harjeet Singh; Forwards: Talwinder Singh, Mandeep Singh, S.V. Sunil (vc), Ramandeep Singh, Nikkin Thimmaiah
