New Delhi, Feb. 6: Striker Rajpal Singh will lead the 18-member Indian squad in the 12th men’s hockey World Cup beginning here from February 28, it was announced here on Saturday.There were no major surprises in the squad which was finalised after the trials attended by the selectors and the team’s coaching staff at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium here on Saturday morning.

Striker S.V. Sunil, who suffered a knee injury, has not been included in the team. India take on arch-rivals Pakistan in their opening match on February 28.The team include goalkeepers Adrian D’Souza and P.R. Sreejesh, while former captain Sandeep Singh will man the defence, along with Diwakar Ram and Dhananjay Mahadhik.The midfield looks the strongest with seasoned campaigners Arjun Halappa, Vikram Pillay, Gurbaj Singh, Bharat Chikara and Sardar Singh making the grade. Skipper Rajpal, Prabhjot Singh, Tushar Khandker and Deepak Thakur — all of whom will be playing in their second World Cup — provide much-needed experience in attack. Youngsters Gurvinder Singh Chandi and Sarvanjit Singh add to the front line. The selection trials were attended by B.P. Govinda, Madhu Yadav, Sita Mehta (all selectors), Ajit Pal Singh and Zafar Iqbal (government nominees), besides chief coach Jose Brasa and national coach Harendra Singh.Brasa, selectors at loggerheads over captaincy issue?Though all seems well on paper, the team’s final selection wasn’t all smooth sailing.Chief coach Brasa, it is believed, had chosen Prabhjot — whom he thought would make a better captain than Rajpal — to lead the side in the 12-nation event. This was conveyed to the players after the trials on Saturday morning. Besides, Brasa had also named four vice-captains — Adrian D’Souza, Deepak Thakur, Arjun Halappa and Rajpal — and handed a final list to the selectors.However, Hockey India secretary-general Narinder Batra sent an official release later in the day, naming Rajpal as skipper. Said Batra, “The selectors’ word is final. Rajpal is the skipper.”Asked if Brasa was in favour of Prabhjot as captain, Batra refused to comment.The players, on the other hand, confirmed that Prabhjot had in fact been named captain by Brasa and national coach Harendra. “The entire team knew that Prabhjot would lead the team in the World Cup. There was no ambiguity here. It is surprising that they have named Rajpal as skipper again,” said a player.When contacted, Brasa had this to say, “I cannot say anything. I am confused.”Pak announce 18-member squadMeanwhile in Lahore, Pakistan named an 18-member squad, to be led by Zeeshan Ashraf for the World Cup.There were no major surprises in the squad with the same set of players being retained for the World Cup who recently played in a qualifying tournament in France and in a Challenge Cup event in Argentina.Pakistan have not won the World Cup since 1994 when they lifted the trophy in Sydney.Squad: Zeeshan Ashraf (C), Nasir Ahmad, Salman Akbar, Sohail Abbas, Muhammad Imran, Muhammad Irfan, Waseem Ahmad, Sajjad Anwar, Rehan Butt, Shakeel Abbasi, Abdul Haseem Khan, Muhammad Zubair, Akhtar Ali, Omer Bhutta, Farid Ahmed, Abbas Haider, Muhammad Rizwan and Muhammd Rashid.

Age Correspondent