Poor turf forces campers out
Alarmed at the growing number of injuries, the Indian hockey think-tank has once again opted to move the camp out of SAI, South Centre, here.
The turf at the Centre on the outskirts of the city has been the bone of contention between the Sports Authority of India and the national team management for the past two years.
Cosmetic patch-ups have been carried out a couple of times since 2011 when the then-chief coach, Michael Nobbs and the team set up base here.
Back then, a few months before the Olympics, a miffed Nobbs had asked for the camp to be shifted to the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune following a spate of injuries to key players.
The same issue has returned to haunt the team with minor injuries to Gurmail Singh, Harbir Singh and Rupinderpal Singh. It has been learnt that with strikers Akashdeep Singh and Gurvinder Singh Chandi out of the Asia Cup due to injuries, interim chief coach and high performance director Roelant Oltmans does not want to take any further risks.
In fact Oltmans had met SAI director general Jiji Thomson during the latter’s visit to the Centre last week, expressing concern over the condition of the turf and was assured that it would be replaced.
But according to sources, the coaches have been in talks with the parent body to shift the camp to New Delhi. Although the team are expected to leave the city within the next few days, HI secretary Narinder Batra said did not commit on the when the camp would be shifted.
Probables pruned
Meanwhile, the 48 campers preparing for the Asia Cup in Malaysia, from August 24, have been reduced to a core group of 33.
Probables: Goalkeepers: Nanak Singh, P.R. Sreejesh, P.T. Rao, Sreenivasa Rao; Defenders: Amit Rohidas, Harbir Singh Sandhu, Rupinder Pal Singh, V.R. Raghunath, Gurmail Singh, Kothajit Singh, Birendra Lakra; Midfielders: Sardar Singh, Manpreet Singh, M.B. Aiyappa, Vikas Pillay, Prabhdeep Singh, Dharamvir Singh, Chinglensana Singh, S.K. Uthappa; Forwards: Danish Mujtaba, Akashdeep Singh, Nithin Thimmaiah, Pradhan Somanna, S.V. Sunil, Gurvinder Singh Chandi, Talwinder Singh, Mandeep Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Malak Singh, Jasjeet Singh, Nikkin Thimmaiah, Harmanpreet Singh, M.K. Muddappa.
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