New Delhi: Seasoned midfielder Sardar Singh will lead India as the former Asian Games field hockey champions bid to regain their title later this month, Hockey India said on Thursday.
The 16-man squad, buoyed by a strong showing at the Commonwealth Games, will be coached by former Australian international Terry Walsh at the September 19-October 4 Games in the South Korean city of Incheon.
The eight-time Olympic champions have won the Asiad title only twice, both times in Bangkok in 1966 and 1998. They finished third in Guangzhou four years ago behind Pakistan and Malaysia.
India are drawn in group B of the 10-nation competition alongside defending champions Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Oman and China. Group A comprises hosts South Korea, Malaysia, Japan, Bangladesh and Singapore.
Two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals and the winner will gain an automatic qualification to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
India were losing finalists to world champions Australia at the recent Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
India's Asian Games squad (international appearances in brackets):
Goalkeeper: P R Sreejesh (106).
Defenders: Gurbaj Singh (170), Birendra Lakra (77), Rupinder Pal Singh (95), Kothajit Singh (77), V. R. Raghunath (166).
Midfielders: Dharamvir Singh (81), Sardar Singh (191 - capt), Danish Mujtaba (117), Chinglensana Singh Kangujam (58), Manpreet Singh (103).
Forwards: Ramandeep Singh (17), Akashdeep Singh (47), S. V. Sunil (143), Gurwinder Singh Chandi (103), Nikkin Thimmaiah (17).
Don't expect medals from hockey teams after government apathy, says Narinder Batra:
Hockey India (HI) secretary general Narinder Batra today said the country should not expect a medal from the national teams in the upcoming Asian Games in the wake of government's "shoddy treatment" of the national sport.
"People should not expect much out of both and men's and women's team in the current scenario. The government has completely turned its back on the sport, especially in the last three months," Batra told PTI claiming lack of adequate funds have hurt the teams' preparations.
"If at all the players are able to make an impact, the credit will only go to them. But I am not very hopeful. The women's team were forced to train on worn out turfs and to top it all the camp of the junior teams have not been sanctioned. You can't expect much in a scenario like this," Batra fumed.
Batra is claiming lack of funds at a time when Sports Authority of India, the government's nodal agency, has released Rs 11.27 crores to HI, an amount more than the sport's annual allocated budget of Rs.10.50 crore. Indian men bagged a bronze in the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou while the women's team returned empty handed.
Talking about the third edition of the Hockey India League, Batra maintained that he has not been intimated about the pull out of Dabur-owned Mumbai franchise, adding the 2015 edition of league will see two more teams than the present six.
"We have already signed a contract with two franchisees. The announcement of where they want to field their teams from will be made in the next two weeks. We have requested the investors to have a South India a base as we already have teams in the other regions of the country."
HIL aims to have 10 teams by 2018.
