Senior Indian hockey players issued warning after Asian Games disappointment
The senior members of the Indian men’s hockey team have been put on notice regarding their below-average results in recent months especially the recent disappointment at the Asian Games in Jakarta. PR Sreejesh, Sardar Singh, S V Sunil and Rupinder Pal Singh were not at their best at the Asiad.
The Indian hockey team endured one of their worst performances in International competitions as they returned from the Asian Games in Jakarta with a bronze medal for the first time in the history of the competition. In light of recent results, Indian hockey’s coaching staff and High-Performance Director, David Ian John, has submitted a detailed report on the men’s team’s Asiad outing.
As per reports in TOI, some of the senior members of the men’s hockey team who were involved in the Asian Games campaign have been mentioned in the report due to below-par displays. The PR Sreejesh-led side failed to secure qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics as they only made it to the quarter-finals in Indonesia. They beat Pakistan in the bronze medal match to clinch a medal and save their reputation to some extent.
One of the reputed members of the Indian coaching staff told TOI that senior players like Sreejesh, Sardar Singh, S V Sunil and Rupinder Pal Singh were all not at their best during Asiad outing and showed no signs of leadership at crucial stages in the competition.
However, John and his coaching colleagues lavished praise on the Indian women’s hockey team who bagged a
While one of India’s senior-most players - Sardar Singh announced his retirement from international hockey shortly after returning from the Jakarta, Sunil and Rupinder have been axed from India’s squad for the Hero Champions Trophy in Muscat, Oman which is scheduled to be played between October 18 to 28.
“Like other seniors, Sreejesh’s performance will also be monitored in every tournament. That’s why we have started grooming the next two best goalies – Jagdeep Dayal and Vikas Dahiya. Sreejesh wasn’t good in the shootout (against Malaysia). Similarly, it would be difficult for Rupinder and Sunil to make a comeback, though they are still in the mix for the World Cup.
This official had another interesting piece of information to share. “Sreejesh won’t be your captain at the Odisha Hockey World Cup. Manpreet Singh will lead the side. He has already been named
