One step back, one steps out
From the time he has taken charge of the national team, Paul van Ass has emphasized on the need for tightening India’s flimsy defence. On Tuesday, the Dutchman showed the first signs of overhauling the backline after he decided to drop national-team regular Rupinderpal Singh for the Hockey World League semifinal, which will be held in Antwerp from June 20 to July 5.
Hockey India announced a 18-member squad led by Sardar Singh while goalkeeper PR Sreejesh will be his deputy. Apart from Rupinderpal, Van Ass has also left out forwards Mandeep Singh and Satbir Singh along with midfielder SK Uthappa in what will be his first major tournament since being appointed India coach in January. However, the most notable omission is that of Rupinderpal, who has been a national team regular since the London Olympics.
The former Holland coach had earlier expressed unhappiness over the inability of the Indian players to read the game, their lack of concentration and their habit of conceding late goals.
A team official said both Rupinderpal and his defence-partner VR Raghunath have conceded sloppy goals and have not been effective from set-pieces as well.
Rupinderpal has been criticised in the past for being slow on his feet and committing errors not befitting an experienced player. Though his drag-flicks are powerful, his conversion rate from short corners has not been impressive.
Nothing is for granted
“This sends out a message to all players that no one can take their places for granted,” the official said. “Also, Paul wants to try out various combinations and assess as many players as possible before he finalises on a group for the Olympics.”
Twenty-five year old Jasjit is seen as a like-for-like replacement for Rupinderpal. A year ago, Jasjit was a surprise inclusion in the squad for the World Cup. Jasjit was part of the probables for the World Cup, but the then coach Terry Walsh had spotted something special in the untested defender. He went on to make his India debut at the World Cup.
However, as India slumped to one embarrassing defeat after other in the Netherlands, and conceded late goals in the process, Jasjit fell out of favour.
However, he impressed the selectors with his performances in the senior national championships, which concluded in Pune last month. Playing in midfield as well as defence, Jasjit controlled the game for the Railways, who went on to win the title for the first time in more than a decade.
Jasjit’s Railways teammate Yuvraj Walmiki too made the cut for the tournament. Walmiki’s inconsistency has resulted in him being left on the fringes of the national team. He was left out of the squad for the Champions Trophy and Azlan Shah Cup but was selected by Van Ass for the test series against Japan.
“We have lacked a goal-poacher and he showed at the national championships that he is still among the best in India to fulfill that role,” a team official said.
“He scored in almost every match, including the final, and also scored thrice against Air India, which is one of the strongest teams. Those performances were enough for him to return to the national team.”
