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IHF replaces coach Kaushik, drops Pillay, five others

Six Asian Games heroes, including skipper Dhanraj Pillay and goalkeeper Ashish Ballal, were today axed and coach M K Kaushik replaced as the Indian Hockey Federation announced the probables for the forthcoming Test series against Pakistan and the six-nation tournament in Cairo, Egypt.

Also given the go-by were goalkeeper A B Subbaiah and strikers Mukesh Kumar, Sabu Varkey and Sandeep Somesh.

IHF president K P S Gill told reporters in New Delhi this morning that the six players had been rested.

"We want to build a team for the 2000 Olympics and for that we have to look for younger players," he said.

Asked if this meant the end of the road for these six players, Gill said, "No, this is not the end of road for Pillay and the others, they will get the chance to play in other Test series and tournaments in which India is going to take part."

The IHF chief asserted that 22 probables for the Pakistan series and 36 probables for the six-nation tournament include several senior players.

"While short-listing these 58 probables, we kept in mind their form and fitness level," he said.

For the series against Pakistan, Vasudevan Bhaskaran has been recalled as coach while for the six-nation tourney, Rajinder Singh will be the coach.

Interestingly, after the Amsterdam World Cup, Bhaskaran had openly come out against the senior players, saying they lack physical fitness and should be dropped.

Asked if the players had been dropped at Bhaskaran's insistence, Gill said, "No, this is not the case, we have to build up a second-string team for the future."

"We have a very tight schedule this year, and we would like to try out as many players as possible before the Olympic Games and for the 2001 Junior World Cup," he explained.

Citing the example of the United Cricket Board of South Africa, which often rests its main strike bowler Allan Donald so as reduce the stress on him, Gill said, "We are doing the same for the seniors, we want to preserve them."

He also asserted that Kaushik had not been removed and he remains a part of the IHF coaching committee. "We will be consulting him about the preparation of the team," Gill said.

Asked if Ballal has been dropped because of his remarks against the IHF after winning the Asian Games, Gill said, "No, we are not bothered about what he said." But in the next breath he added that "discipline is very important, we will watch the players' actions and behaviour in the camp".

Asked about the foreign coach, Gill said talks are going on with the International Hockey Federation (FIH). "They have a panel of coaches and we have to pick one from it."

He said, "We are in a position to pay for the foreign coach. The government has agreed to give money for the foreign coach and the Indian Olympic Association has also assured financial help, I think money is no problem."

Gill said he would have a talk with Pillay in Pune next week and with the two goalkeepers in New Delhi any time this week and tell them the rationale for resting them. He, however, made it clear that players will be selected on the basis of their form and fitness and not only because of seniority.

"No player is ever sure of his selection in the national side if he is not in form or fully fit," the IHF chief asserted.

Gill said he saw no political threat to the Pakistan series, saying the matches would be played as scheduled.

Pepsi will be the official sponsor of the Indian leg of the series. The Tatas have also shown an interest in the series, but the proposal has not yet been finalised.

Following are the 22 probables for the Pakistan series:

Goalkeepers: Jagdish Ponnappa (Indian Airlines) 
             Naeemuddin (Bihar) 
             P U Boppanna (Karnataka)
Fullbacks:   Dilip Tirkey, Lazarus Barla (IA) 
             Anil Aldrin, Surinder Singh (Air-India)
Half-backs:  Baljit Singh Saini (Punjab & Sind Bank) 
             Mohammed Riaz (IA) 
             Ramandeep Singh (Punjab)
             Thirumal Valavan (Tamil Nadu) 
             Shanmugam (Karnataka)
Forwards:    Ravinder Singh, Sameer Dad, 
             Virender Singh (all IA) 
             Gagan Ajit Singh, Rajesh Chauhan (A-I) 
             Baljit Singh Dhillon, 
             Daljit Singh Dhillon (both Pun) 
             Prabhakaran (TN), Kamal Horo (Services) 
             Mukhtiar Singh (Railways).

The 36 probables for the Cairo tourney are:

Goalkeepers: Ambuj Srivastava (Rlys) 
             A P Girish (Bombay) 
             Devesh Chauhan (A-I Academy) 
             Murali Krishna (Hyderabad) 
             Satish Kumar (CRZ School, Sonepat)
Fullbacks:   Anurag Raghuvanshi (A-I Academy) 
             Bikramjit Singh (PSB) 
             Parvez Alam (Uttar Pradesh) 
             Dinesh Nayak (TN) 
             Cheops D'Costa (Bom) 
             Gurmail Singh (PSB) 
             Shailendra Vashishta (CRPF).
Half-backs:  Anwar Khan (Rlys) 
             Sunil Yadav (A-I Academy) 
             Bimal Lakra (Centre of Excellence) 
             Nausher Singh (Rlys) 
             Baljit Singh Chandi (PSB) 
             Ratha Krishnan (TN) 
             Paramjeet Singh (Ser)
             Ernico Fernando (Bom) 
             Mohd Rafiuddin (Hyd) 
             Kuldeep Singh (Rlys)
Forwards:    Gursewak Singh, Deepak (PSB) 
             Bipin Fernandez (A-I) 
             Gurjant Singh (Centre of Excellence)
             Harbhajan Singh (Border Security Force) 
             Mukesh Kumar (CRPF) 
             Ajinder Pal Singh (Rlys) 
             Ershad (UP) 
             Sukhjeet Singh (Pun) 
             Senthil (TN) 
             Tanweer Jamal, Hem Ram (CRPF) 
             Brojan Singh (IA). 
Coach:       Rajinder Singh.

The schedule for the India-Pakistan series:
India leg:
February 3:  1st Test, Delhi 
February 5:  2nd Test, Bhopal
February 8:  3rd Test, Hyderabad 
February 10: 4th test-chennai.
Pakistan leg:
February 16: 5th Test, Lahore 
February 18: 6th Test, Karachi
February 20: 7th Test, Peshawar 
February 22: 8th Test, Rawalpindi 
February 24: 9th Test, Lahore

The IHF president also announced the schedule for the tournaments/series in which India will be taking part:

Six-nation tournament, Cairo, February 2 to 12.
Six-nation tournament, Dubai, March 4 to 11.
Azlan Shah Tournament, Malaysia, April 3 to 11.
Test series, Germany, June
Test series, South Africa, August 14 to 22.
Panasonic Cup, Germany, August.

UNI