NEW DELHI, 21 September 2004 — India’s field hockey selectors yesterday dropped five Olympians from the 18-member squad to play an eight-match series against Pakistan starting later this month.
Dhanraj Pillay, Baljeet Dhillon, Gagan Ajit Singh, Prabhjot Singh and Deepak Thakur, who were part of the team that finished seventh at the Athens Olympics, were not considered, Indian Hockey Federation announced. Veteran defender Dilip Tirkey was retained as captain for the series which features four matches in Pakistan from Sept. 24 to Oct. 1 and the remaining four in India from Oct. 4-10.
Federation President Kunwar Gill said he was not expecting “extraordinary” results against Pakistan since the team was being groomed for next year’s Champions Trophy and the junior World Cup.
“We are trying out young players, I don’t expect anything extraordinary from them in Pakistan,” Gill said, adding that German Gerhard Rach will continue as the national coach for the series.
Rach was appointed India’s first foreign coach three weeks before the Athens Games, but his future was in doubt after another dismal performance from the eight-time Olympic champions. The Tests in Pakistan will be played in Karachi (Sept. 24), Quetta (Sept. 27), Peshawar (Sept. 29) and Lahore (Oct. 1). The Indian leg will comprise matches in New Delhi (Oct. 4), Chandigarh (Oct. 6), Amritsar (Oct. 8) and Hyderabad (Oct. 10).
Aussies Rebuild After Athens Hockey Misery
In Sydney, Australia will take only six members of the failed Athens Olympic team to defend its women’s Champions Trophy field hockey title in Argentina in November.
Australia, bidding for a third consecutive Olympic women’s gold medal, finished fifth at last month’s Olympics. Only captain Nikki Hudson, Toni Cronk, Emily Halliday, Peta Gallagher, Suzie Faulkner and Jessica Arrold are picked from the Olympic tournament.
