No surprises in India squad

Diwakar is the lone new face in the team for Olympic qualifiers

NEW DELHI: Ace winger Rajpal Singh retained his place after his patch-up with coach Joaquim Carvalho while young drag-flicker Diwakar Ram was the lone new face in India’s hockey squad for the Olympic qualifiers in Chile next month.

There were not many surprises in the side as performers with proven track record were given preference keeping in mind the necessity to qualify for the Beijing Olympics.

Striker Ajitesh Rai is the other youngster who has got into the squad on the strength of his good showing in the Premier Hockey League and various international assignments at the junior level, according to IHF sources. Diwakar Ram was rewarded with a berth in the squad for his consistent showing in junior tournaments. Laying stress on penalty corner conversion, two drag-flickers have been drafted into the side.

Squad: Goalkeepers: Bharat Chetri, Baljit Singh; Defenders: Dilip Tirkey, V R Raghunath, William Xalxo, Diwakar Ram; Midfielders: Gurbaj Singh, Prabodh Tirkey (captain), Bimal Lakra, Sardara Singh, Ignace Tirkey, Vikram Kanth; Forwards: Rajpal Singh, Prabhjot Singh, Tushar Khandekar, Shivendra Singh, Bharat Chikara, Ajeethesh Rai; Stand-byes: Sreejesh (goalkeeper), Samir Baxla (defender), SV Sunil, Birendra Lakra,
R Minz, Cheeyanna (forwards)