Chennai: The Indian team for the World Cup in Monchengladbach, Germany, that will be held in September has been announced. Veteran fullback Dilip Tirkey has been retained as the skipper.
The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) President and Chairman of the Selection Committee, K P S Gill announced the team in Chennai on Thursday.
There have been just two changes in the 18-member squad that won the bronze medal in the eight-nation Sultan Azlan Shah tournament.
Experienced midfielder Ignace Tirkey has made a comeback while young linkman Nitin Kumar was rewarded for his good showing in the six-nation junior tournament in Poland earlier this year.
Ignace, who was out of action for several months because of injury, replaced Namdhari midfielder Ajmer Singh. Nitin received a call-up for the national team in place of Bimal Lakra, who skipped the World Cup preparatory camp citing domestic pre-occupations.
Gill said the selection committee did not have to pick anybody from the junior or the development team, as the senior squad had been performing well.
''This team was gelling very well,'' he said.
Asked about the prospects of the team for podium finish, Gill said, ''it's very difficult to say, let us see, what they do. They are well prepared.''
Gill also announced that to help the team to enhance its performance in the world cup for a podium finish as in the Azlan Shah tournament, the IHF has sought the services Meru Sports.
Meru Sports, based in New Delhi, has been assisting the Indian cricket team and prepared a software ‘Hockeymate’, to analyse and correct vulnerable areas of play, of each player as well as the rival team.
The software has been prepared with the help of chief coach V Baskaran and assistant coach Harendra Singh. It will also help the team to study team strategy and alter it as required.
The video analysis will also include study of a few teams in the recent competitions.
Asked how the players were adapting for the first time to a foreign trainer Derek Knox of Australia, Gill said, "They are responding well to his training techniques in the short time he has been with the players."
Squad:
Goal-keepers: Adrian D'Souza, Bharat Kumar Chetri. Fullbacks: Dilip Tirkey, Sandeep Singh, Kanwalpreet Singh. Midfielders: V S Vinay, Vikram Pillay, Prabodh tirkey, Viren Rasquinha, Nitin Kumar, Ignace Tirkey. Forwards: Gagan Ajit Singh, Tejbir Singh, Rajpal Singh, Tushar Khandekar, Shivendra Singh, Arjun Halappa, Hari Prasad.
Chief coach: V Baskaran, Coach: Harendra Singh. Physio: Ravi Kanakamedala. Trainer: Derek Knox. Manager: S P Das. Videographer: S Ramakrishnan.
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