New Delhi: Unless he is injured or rested, which Hockey India (HI) hasn't clarified, the omission of star goalkeeper PR Sreejesh from India's 18-man squad that incidentally marks the return of drag-flicker Sandeep Singh for the tour of Netherlands will raise many eyebrows.
HI announced the names of PT Rao and Nanak Singh as the two goalkeepers for the 13-day tour, during which India will play seven matches, including two against the national Dutch side, in preparation for the FIH Men's Hockey World League Round 3 (semi-finals) in June. The tournament also serves as the qualifying event for the 2014 World Cup.
While the omission of India's first-choice goalkeeper Sreejesh was a surprise, the return of Sandeep is largely based on his form during the Hockey India League where he topped the goal-scorers' list. The selection was done during the trials conducted on April 16 at the SAI Centre in Bangalore, where the probables were undergoing a national camp.
Young forward Yuvraj Walmiki also returned to the squad, which had no place for the veteran striker Shivender Singh who was part of the camp. The team will be led by Sardar Singh who will have defender VR Raghunath as his deputy.
India will play seven matches during the tour from April 27 to May 9 2013, including two matches against the national Dutch team and five against top Dutch clubs.
Squad:
GOALKEEPERS: PT Rao, Nanak Singh
DEFENDERS: VR Raghunath (vice captain), Rupinder Pal Singh, Harbir Singh Sandhu, Kothajit Singh, Gurmail Singh, Sandeep Singh
MIDFIELDERS: Sardar Singh (captain), Manpreet Singh, Dharamvir Singh, Danish Mujtaba, SK Uthappa
FORWARDS: SV Sunil, Chinglensana Singh, Nithin Thimmaiah, Akashdeep Singh
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